The body of a 38-year old Ibrahim Mohammed was discovered Thursday morning by residents in the area who called in the Police. The deceased has since been picked from the Piabo Quarry site by the Police for autopsy.
Mohammed was said to have rushed to the abandoned quarry site to see what was happening when the explosion started. He was never seen again until Friday morning when his body was found at the scene, TV3’s Yvonne Neequaye reports.
The Muslim community in the area and the family members are getting impatient as they want the Police to hand over the body to them for immediate burial in line with Muslim tradition, she adds.
But security officials maintain due procedure must be followed before the body could be released to the family. A team of military and Police are currently at the scene to maintain peace and order.
A total of 26 people sustained various degrees of injury as a result of the explosion at the quarry site which is said to have been abandoned for four years now. They have been sent to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. Thirteen others were treated and discharged.
Experts are yet to identify what might have triggered the dynamite to explode.
The Police, Military and officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation, EPA, Fire Service have been to the area to assess the extent of damage.
At least a total of 40 buildings, mostly residential homes, have been destroyed by the explosion which is believed to have been triggered by a dynamite. Some of the buildings have deep cracks in the walls, roofing sheets ripped off while others have the entire roof caved in. Glass doors and windows of most of the buildings were also shuttered.
The intensity of the explosion, according to construction expects, is likely to weaken the foundation of some of the buildings in the area.
Former District Chief Executive for the area, Mark Annor Dompreh, told TV3 that although the assembly knew about the quarry site, it did not know of explosive usage at the site, adding that these are the issues that the Minerals Commission has to answer.
Owners of the facility, according to our correspondent, have not been arrested but are assisting the Police in investigations.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com
Twitter @steviekgh