Victims of the Apeatse explosion continue to count their losses after the ravaging impacts of the misfortune which left emotional and psychological scars on them.

This is the story of 28-year-old artisanal miner, Mary Akosua, who lost her pound of gold and an amount of GH¢1,000 when her house got burnt after the incident.

To her disappointment, Mary could not trace any of her assets despite days of search for her gold and money. She therefore decided to find solace in a beer she found in the debris.

She could not weep much and decided to keep her loss to herself. Moving around the shattered town, the lady drank the beer to forget her worries.

“I came here in search of my one-pound gold and money but didn’t see them so I went to a shop close to my house where alcoholic beverages were sold and I found this beer,” she stated.

According to her, she dug and hid those valuables in a hole she created in her room prior to the blast. Unfortunately, her ‘mini-bank’ has vanished.

She noted that the incident happened in her absence but had to rush back to search for what she calls her precious properties.

Akosua’s story may well be just one of many after the community lost everything overnight.

The unfortunate incident happened on January 20, 2022 when an explosive-laden truck collided with a motorcycle, leading to a large blast that has destroyed the entire community.

Meanwhile, the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry has inaugurated a seven-member committee to spearhead the reconstruction of the Apeatse community.

Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Benito Owusu-Bio will chair the committee with other members from various private and public sector institutions.

The six others include Director of Rural Housing at the Works and Housing Ministry, Sylvester Adjornu; Kwadwo Yeboah, from the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority and Charles Blankson Hemans from the Ghana Institute of Architects.

The rest are Nana Nuamah Kyei-Baffuor, Ghana Institute of Surveyors; Chief of Apeatse and Divisional Chief of Beppoh in the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, Nana Atta Kwadwo Bremebi II.