Ghana Fines Spanish Oil Company $6 million after explosion kills 13 people

One of the largest gold mines in Ghana, the Tarkwa mine (Wikimedia)

A truck containing 10 tons of mining explosives detonated in Apiate, Ghana on January 21, killing 13 people and injuring over 100 others. The truck was on its way to the Chirano gold mine, run by Toronto-based Kinross Gold Corporation, when it collided with a motorbike, caught fire, and exploded. Maxam, the Spanish-based company that owns the truck, is being fined $6 million after Ghanian officials say that they violated storage and transportation laws. Ghana's Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources said in a statement, "The Ministry has established regulatory breaches on the part of Maxam...in respect to the manufacture, storage and transportation of explosives." The Ghanaian government gave Maxam a $1 million administrative fee and $5 million fee for damages, to be paid in monthly installments. 

In their first statement, Maxam denied responsibility for the explosion and blamed it on a local contractor, Arthanns Logistics. Thereafter, Maxam maintained that none of the violations contributed to the explosion but it would nevertheless pay the fines to continue operating. The Lands Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, said in a press release that Maxam has 14 conditions to meet before restoring their operating permit. One of these conditions include a ban on Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil (ANFO) transportation on public roads to mines or civil work sites unless expressly permitted by the Chief Inspector of Mines. Another one of these conditions dictate that explosives have to be guarded by two escort vehicles, one in the front and one in the back, and have to have sirens to notify people of the explosives. 

In the same press release, it was stated that sanctions against Arthanns Logistics, the local company that Maxam blamed for the explosion, are being reviewed and will be applied soon. Eight eye witnesses stated that the truck was on fire for 45 minutes before it exploded, residents of Apiate had time to walk to the scene to take photos and video without police or firemen holding them back. It took the police so long to arrive at the scene that the townspeople had to take on the responsibility of dealing with the emergency. The death toll could have been much higher if not for the truck driver that warned residents to leave the scene immediately.

The blast has left the town of Apiate, Ghana completely devastated, with over 500 buildings destroyed and people displaced from their homes. “I saw complete devastation of the community called Apiate. As we speak, the community is dead, it cannot be inhabited by anyone,” said Francis Abeiku Yankah, a NADMO coordinator for Prestea Huni-Valley. According to Ghana News Agency, some 750 residents, including survivors of the explosion, have been relocated to a temporary camp in the nearby town of Bogoso-Kojokrom, as the government steps up efforts to reconstruct the town. Nearby towns have been asked to open up their public spaces, such as classrooms and churches, to the survivors of the blast.