A large explosion ripped apart the southeastern Ghana on Thursday Jan. 20, killing more than a dozen people and injuring many more.
After a motorcycle collided with a truck during traffic, it began to catch on fire and ended up exploding about five minutes later. As a result, people and animals are being pulled out of rubble and metal.Everything in that city is in shambles; homes and other buildings are also destroyed. Many residents were left with no power and have had to deal with major holes in the ground.
This wasn’t the first occurrence of an explosion; every time it got more devastating. This specific situation has heavily impacted Ghana students on the campus of Florida A&M University (FAMU).
Keira Cubbs, born and raised in Ghana, is a Broadcast Journalism student at Florida A&M University.
At the age of seven, she experienced her first disaster of her hometown. It took about three years for her and her family to live comfortably again. “For this to happen to Ghana again, breaks our hearts,” Cubbs said. “My family described Apitate as the after effect of the earthquake that hit many of years back.”
Due to the severity of the situation, Keira may have to travel to Miami within the next week to gather supplies and send them off to family in Ghana.
Ezekiel Rein, a student at Florida A&M University has a close friend that lives near the town of Apitate.
“He explained how he heard a really loud noise and ran outside to see what it was, but there was nothing in sight,” said Rein. ”Later on, he noticed smoke and debris flying in the air.”
The friend of Ezekiel knew someone who was injured from the explosion and spoke to his family. They said everything happened so quickly and that he was rushed to hospital, and luckily, he didn’t sustain life threatening injuries and would be fine.
Both students are checking up on their loved ones and making sure that they’re fine. Their hometown will always be an important part of their lives and they are hoping for the best.