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Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 6 August 2015

Source: Daily Guide

Exploded Gas cylinders owner arrested

One of the victims of the gas explosion being carried away One of the victims of the gas explosion being carried away

Madam Lydia Kenyah, 48, owner of the gas cylinders which exploded at Ngleshie Amanfrom near Kasoa in the Ga South District on Tuesday afternoon, killing two persons on the spot, has been arrested by the Weija District police.

She was arrested and detained Tuesday evening when she personally walked to the station to report herself.

She has provisionally been charged for negligently causing harm and would be sent to court for prosecution, according to ASP Isaac Ayitey Quaye, Amanfrom district police commander.

ASP Quaye, who led a team of police personnel to the scene of the incident on Tuesday, told DAILY GUIDE that Madam Kenyah could have prevented the accident from occurring if she had employed the services of qualified persons to work on the cylinders.

“There is a company called the Ghana Gas Cylinder Company responsible for repairing faulty gas cylinders, but she decided to use roadside welders for the said job,” the police officer intimated.

According to information gathered, Madam Kenyah sent about 31 pieces of her faulty gas cylinders to His Grace Metal Works – a welders’ shop – where the welders tried to repair them and lost their lives in the process.

Owner of the shop, whose name was given as Kofi Boakye, according to information, is sick and bed-ridden and had left the manning of the shop in the hands of the two persons.

It would be recalled that the two persons were killed while others sustained various degrees of injury at Ngleshie Amanfrom when some pieces of gas cylinders they were repairing exploded.

The incident occurred around 1pm Tuesday when a used cylinder being repaired by one of the welders, eventually caught fire and exploded.

The two deceased persons were identified as Yaw Dodzi Adzia, 42 and Kwesi Ben aka Aponkyeti, 37.

According to an eyewitness, a Kia truck with registration number GM 2532-12 came to offload some used gas cylinders belonging to Madam Kenyah, for maintenance at the welding shop.

“As the cylinders were being worked on we suddenly heard an explosion and immediately saw one of the cylinders flying in the air.

“When we quickly rushed to the scene, we saw two bodies lying down dead and one driver’s mate sustaining serious injury,” he said.