Under the Restoring Family Links (RFL) the Society with support from Swiss Red Cross, also provided first aid and psychological services to the victims camped at the St. Michael’s Catholic Church Parish Hall.

 A statement issued by the GRCS yesterday, said more support would be provided to the displaced families in the coming days as they await the rebuilding of the community and resettlement thereafter.

“Ghana Red Cross recommended the resettlement of the displaced people to allow for privacy and enough space for medical attention as well as mounting the family tents and shelter kits to cater for the displaced families at the meeting with Municipal Chief Executive and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).

“The processes are far advanced to add more tents as the place for the resettlement of the displaced has been secured by the Assembly,” the statement quoted Jonathan Hope, the National Disaster Manager of the Red Cross.

It said the RFL programme involved activities that aim to prevent separation and disappearance, look for missing persons, restore and maintain contact between family members and clarify the fate of persons reported missing which are sometimes referred to as family tracing.

“The most common situations where the Family Links Network takes action are when loss of contact is due to natural or man-made disaster; migration and in other situations of humanitarian need,” it said.

The statement said the RFL services which are free of charge and currently ongoing at Bogoso would help re-establish contact with their loved ones, especially those who were not at home when the disaster occurred and have no news of their relatives.

It said it would help link injured people in the disaster who had been transferred to hospitals, possibly out of the affected area, without their families knowing.

“The unaccompanied children, elderly people living on their own, those with chronic illnesses, those with disabilities requiring support,” the statement quoted Mr Hope.

Since the incident occurred, it said, the GRCS immediately activated its District Disaster Response Teams (DDRTs) from a nearby district, deployed 25 team members in Tarkwa and Prestea to provide psychosocial support service; joined the rescue and evacuation team to assist the displaced and trapped victims as well as provided first aid to injured victims on the main road and the community when the explosion occurred.  

The explosion which occurred when a truck carrying dynamites was involved in an accident claimed 17 lives, leaving more than 100 people injured and displaced.