A Spanish company responsible for the truck that exploded last month and killed 13 people en route to an international gold mine in Ghana has been fined $6 million, the lands ministry announced on Tuesday.
At least 100 people were injured after the truck carrying explosives owned by Madrid-based Maxam Corp collided with a motorbike, caught fire, and exploded as it transported the explosives from Madrid to the Chirano gold mine, owned by Toronto-based Kinross Gold Corporation.
According to Maxam, a local contractor is responsible for the disaster, which occurred on Jan. 21.
According to Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Maxam violated several regulations regarding the manufacture, storage, and transportation of explosives.
There was no specific information about which laws were broken or how they contributed to the accident.
The government fined Maxam $1 million for breaking regulations and imposed a $5 million fee for damages, which will be paid out in monthly instalments.
Maxam said in its statement that the explosives were transported by Arthanns Logistics, a local company. Maxam said Arthanns was at fault for the code violations.
The company said none of the violations contributed to the explosion and that it would pay the fines.
According to the lands ministry, Arthanns, whose full name is Arthanns Transport Services, and another local company called Jocyderk Logistics are being investigated for possible ties to the explosion. Also being reviewed are the actions of unnamed officials.
Witnesses at the time stated that the truck was on fire for 45 minutes before it exploded, during which time residents were allowed to walk to the scene to take photos and videos without police or firefighters intimidating them.
According to them, it was the truck driver’s responsibility to alert the residents to leave the scene immediately.
Police said the truck had been travelling with a police escort, which warned people to move away ahead of the blast.