The Ashanti Regional Police Command has launched a manhunt for the individual responsible for the dynamite that exploded at Odumasi near Konongo in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti region.
The owner of the dynamite shop fled the scene following the incident, which resulted in three deaths and several injuries on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. In addition, thirty households were damaged, displacing several residents and leaving them homeless.
Currently, two victims have been referred from the Konongo Government Hospital to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), while two others remain hospitalised. Two patients have been discharged.
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Regional Minister who visited the explosion site to assess the situation, as well as the victims at the hospital, confirmed that the owner of the dynamite shop is still at large.
The Minister, who doubles as the Chairman of the Regional Security Council, stated that the police are on the suspect’s heels.
Regional Minister visit victim at the hospitalDescribing the sale of explosives in residential areas as “illegal,” he directed security agencies, including the National Investigation Bureau (NIB), the Ghana Police Service, and the National Security, to conduct thorough investigations in mining communities to determine if others are engaged in similar illegal activities.
Additionally, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has been instructed to assess the situation and provide support to those displaced by the explosion. In the meantime, the Minister has allocated GHS 5,000 to each of the 30 affected households, totalling GHS 150,000.
Some of the damage caused at explosion siteDr Nana Kofi Antwi II, the Odumasihene, condemned the sale of dynamite in communities and extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.
Source: ghenvironment.com