Truck Carrying Explosives to a Gold Mine in Ghana Collides with Motorcycle Kills 17
PHOTO: DRONE VIDEO OF DESTRUCTION FROM EXPLOSION
INTERNATIONAL: Authorities in Ghana have started clearing the site of a major explosion that resulted in at least 17 dead and dozens of injured.
The explosion happened on Thursday, 20 January when a vehicle carrying mining explosives has colided with a motorcycle in the village of Apiate, in western Ghana. A footage of the scene in the rural community of Apiate, shows a massive crater roughly 66 feet at the epicentre of the detonation, which reduced hundreds of buildings to piles of wood and rubble, with bodies seen amongst the debris.
The deputy director general of the National Disaster Management Organisation has reported around 500 buildings were destroyed .
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.
The truck was owned by a company called Maxam that was transporting explosives to the Chirano gold mine, run by Toronto-based Kinross Gold Corporation, police said.
Kinross has announced that it will provide support to the response efforts and relief items to those affected. Maxam could not be reached for comment.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is investigating the cause of the blast and whether the companies involved followed regulations covering transportation of explosives, it said in a statement.
Winter Wilfire Near California’s Big Sur Triggered Evacuations
PHOTO: WILDFIRE BURNING AT BIG SUR
A 1,500-acre fire near the coastal community of Big Sur, California has triggered evacuations and closed part of a major highway, state and local officials has announced on Saturday ,January 22.
The Colorado Fire, which has been active since Friday, was five percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has said.
More than 32 kilometres stretch of State Highway 1, a scenic north-south route on the Pacific Coast, was closed from near the beach town of Carmel-by-the-Sea to Andrew Molera State Park.
About 400 people in Monterey County were evacuated from 1,100 structures, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross has confirmed, citing county reports.
California has long had an active wildfire season, but in recent years, fueled at least in part by climate change, it has grown longer and more punishing.
Last year, the wildfire season has started unusually early amid an ongoing drought and low reservoir levels, Cal Fire has said.
In January 2021 alone, the state battled 297 fires on 1,171 acres.
The Colorado Fire is the only fire listed on Cal Fire's incident list so far in 2022.
This year, California is also grappling with the Santa Ana winds. A high wind warning was in effect for the area, with possible gusts of up to 112.65 kilometres per hour, according to the National Weather Service.But winds had improved and were forecast to remain light throughout the weekend, the Red Cross has said.
Russian Military Forces and Hardware Arrive in Belarus for “Allied Resolve”Drills
PHOTO: RUSSIAN MILITARY HARDWARE BEING LOADED ON FLAT-CARS AND DEPARTING TO BELARUS FOR DRILLS
Russian Defence Ministry has released on Monday ,January 24, a footage of the Russian army loading flatcars with military hardware to send it to Belarus from the far eastern Amur region for joint drills.
Russian military forces and hardware began arriving in Belarus this week for the "Allied Resolve" drills to be held near the former Soviet republic's western border with NATO members Poland and Lithuania, and close to its southern flank with Ukraine.
Western states fear that Russia, which has massed tens of thousands of troops on its borders with Ukraine is planning a new assault on a country it invaded in 2014. Russia has denied such plans. Lithuania has also said the buildup of Russian troops there was a threat to its security.
