A fuel tanker has been involved in an accident after it hit a police barrier at Lepusi in the Nanumba North Municipality in the Northern Region.
The tanker that was headed towards Bimbilla crashed at dawn Friday, December 2, 2022.
It somersaulted several times, spilling its fuel content.
Residents rushed to the scene to scoop the fuel into gallons and other containers.
According to a resident, Adam Abdullah, even though the police tried to send the residents away from the overturned tanker, residents refused to leave.
They only left after the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) arrived and started pouring water on the ground to prevent any fire outbreak.
“The police tried to send them away, but they were still fetching the petrol, and they didn’t even care about the danger,” he said.
Meanwhile, the tanker driver said he lost control of the vehicle after the brakes failed.
“I did not see this coming at all. I saw the barrier late. There was also an oncoming car, so I was confused. I did not know whether to avoid the barrier or the oncoming car. So in an attempt to escape it, I ran into the barrier.”
According to the Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Hudu Baba, their officers are on standby in case of any fire outbreak.
Meanwhile, the team has been cooling the tanker to stop it from heating up.
“You know it is the harmattan, and any little heat can cause a fire outbreak, so we are ensuring that the place is protected,” he said.