Mr. Herbert Mensah, President of the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) has expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the June 3rd 2015 flood victims.
According to Mensah it was yet another tragedy that should not have claimed the lives of more than 150 victims on that tragic day.
“Many have described the disaster as force majeure or an act of God, but if one carefully looks at all the circumstances surrounding the disaster of 3rd June 2015, many questions can be asked about what should have been done from a governance perspective to minimise potential fatalities,” Mensah said.
The disaster of that fatal day was as a result of hours of downpour compounded by an explosion from a fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah circle.
It is believe that improper planning of settlement in Accra, choked gutters which block the drainage system and a few other human factors contributed to the flooding of the capital city.
“The biggest cause of the disaster was the explosion of the petrol station and the question of whether the station was complying with regulations, and in fact if the government had ensured that there was indeed compliance through inspections should be asked,” Mensah pointed out.
Herbert Mensah is well known for his annual remembrance of the 9 May 2001 Accra Sports Stadium Disaster that claimed the lives of 126 innocent sports fans. At the time of that disaster Mensah was the Chairman of the Kumasi Asante Kotoko football clubs who were playing their archrival the Accra Hearts of Oak.
“The annual ‘May 9th Remembered’ events was initiated by a group of concerned people, and it is supported regularly by some caring organisations such as Interplast, the Gino Brands, Melcom, Sunda International, Golden Tulip and others. That remembrance is in fact symbolic of remembering all such disasters in Ghana,” Mensah said.
Mensah has appealed to the government that May 9th should be declared a national day of observance in memory of all the victims of all disasters in Ghana.
“Such a day of observance will not only ensure that we remember the fallen victims of disasters such as May 9 and June 3, but that all in Ghana can reflect on the critical issue of responsible behaviour and governance. Irresponsibilities such as those exhibited by our authorities on both occasions cost lives, and even the death of one person due to that is totally unacceptable,” Mensah said.
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