Some workers feared dead after Anto Aboso quarry explosion

An explosion at the Omni Quarry site at Anto Aboso in the Shama District of the Western Region has left many injured with some feared dead under the rubble.

Some Ghanaians and Chinese nationals were injured in the explosion, which occurred at around 2230 hours on Saturday.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) got to the scene, it observed that offices and workers’ apartments on the site had collapsed with some excavators, trucks and other equipment belonging to the Omni Quarry burnt beyond repairs.

Oil palm plantation, cassava, rice and maize farms close to the site had been destroyed as a result of the explosion.

A staff of the mine, who pleaded anonymity, told the GNA that the incident occurred when an ammonium nitrate used by the quarry for blasting the rocks got into contact with what they suspected to be fire.

“At around 2230 hours on Saturday, we heard the sound of an explosion from the quarry site, which felt like an earthquake,” he said.

“It was unusual, so we rushed to the site only to find out that the whole site had exploded. So far, I’ve seen five Chinese who are the owners of the site and three other Ghanaians too, whom I suspect are dead,” he said.

Meanwhile, when the GNA visited the scene on Sunday, it noticed that the police had cordoned off the area to ensure security, with none of them unwilling to give any details.

Mr Percy Ahenakwah, the Assemblyman for Komfeku-Anto Electoral Area, said: “All we heard was a serious earthquake, which traveled from Anto to even Daboase Junction and other adjoining communities. Little did we know that it was ammonium blast from the quarry.”

This is the second time within two years that an explosion had claimed lives and left many injured in the Western Region.

In January 2022, 16 people lost their lives with many injured, while a whole community (Apeatse) was wiped off when a vehicle carrying explosive substances collided with a motorbike and exploded.

Source: GNA