Police probe explosion at a tailings site in Aboso

The Western Central Regional Police Command initiated investigations into an explosion that occurred at a tailings site in Aboso in the Western Region on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. The incident resulted in the death of three persons and injured three others. Preliminary investigations revealed that at about 1200 hours on the day of the incident, workers spotted a python and informed the owner, David Kofi Fletcher, who arrived armed with a pump-action shotgun. It is suspected that after Fletcher fired a shot, the pellets struck explosive materials believed to have been illegally stored at the premises, triggering the explosion.

The explosion claimed the life of site owner David Kofi Fletcher and two other persons identified as Solomon and Baba. The three injured persons were rushed to a hospital for treatment. The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy. The explosion also caused extensive damage to nearby properties, shattering window panels of several houses and damaging windscreens and windows of six vehicles parked at a nearby washing bay. The Minerals Commission has been notified and is collaborating with the police as investigations continue.