Accra floods: We’ll cooperate with investigations – GOIL

Management of the Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) - operators of the filling station that went up in flames and killed over 100 people Wednesday night - have indicated their willingness to cooperate with the various security agencies for a thorough investigation into how the incident occurred.

Over 190 lives were claimed following an explosion at a GOIL fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah circle in Accra during a heavy downpour that lingered for several hours. Hundreds of workers had gathered in front of a Pharmacy Shop near the Filling Station for protection until the rains will subside, but met their untimely deaths after the explosion.

Several people were trapped indoors since the streets were flooded while the fire spread to where they were seeking refuge following a fuel leakage which covered the water.

Dozens of passengers in commercial vehicles as well as private cars which had gone to buy fuel as well as park for safety at the time of the flood, were also trapped and died subsequently during the explosion.

Speaking to Anita Erskine on the Starr Drive Thursday, the corporate affairs manager of GOIL Rosemond Frempong said the company has been horrified by the development.

“We were horrified what we saw at the site. It’s heart wrenching to see the devastation, the number of deaths, although they are all not from the station. Our hearts are broken,” she said.

She added: “This has never ever happened to any of our stations. Something like this has never ever happened to us in our history. In times like this, you can never be prepared because you wouldn’t expect such a thing to happen.

“We’ve bottomed ourselves up, the investigative bodies are there and we are willing to cooperate with them. GOIL as a company, we won’t hesitate. Whatever we have to do to help, we are prepared to do because we want to see to the bottom of this”.