The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has issued a stark public safety warning, strongly cautioning citizens against the deadly practice of rushing to accident scenes to siphon fuel or LPG from overturned tanker trucks.
The warning, delivered by NPA Chief Executive Officer Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, follows a rise in reports of residents risking their lives to collect highly volatile petroleum products leaking from crashed tankers across the country.
Major Threat to Life: The Price of GH¢250
Addressing participants at the National LPG Forum in Accra on Thursday, November 27, Mr. Tameklo described the practice as “extremely dangerous” and a “major threat to public safety,” underscoring the volatility of both petrol and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in accident conditions.
He warned that the small economic gain from siphoning the products—often no more than a few hundred Ghana cedis—is not worth the life-threatening risk of explosions.
“The major accidents that have occurred within the downstream often tend to be associated with LPG. I want to use this platform to encourage as many of our countrymen and women that when an LPG or fuel tanker is down, please don’t go with your gallon or cylinder,” he urged.
He further challenged the logic behind the dangerous behaviour:
“Your life is more important than GH¢200 or GH¢250. If you have life, you can get the GH¢250. But you go and fetch petroleum products simply because there is an accident. Beyond it being a question of theft, why do you want to risk your life? At that point, anything can happen.”
High Volatility and Historical Disasters
The NPA’s caution is grounded in past tragedies where such incidents led to devastating explosions, mass casualties, and life-threatening burns.
When a tanker carrying thousands of litres of combustible fuel is compromised, any spark—from a dropped metal object, a running engine, or even static electricity—can trigger a massive explosion.
LPG poses an especially severe risk. Stored under high pressure, its release forms an invisible cloud of gas that is heavier than air and quickly settles in low-lying areas. This cloud is highly flammable and can ignite from a distant spark.
Mr. Tameklo’s caution serves as a critical reminder that public curiosity and the lure of free fuel must give way to an understanding of the deadly dangers associated with petroleum accidents.
The NPA is urging citizens to keep a safe distance—preferably several hundred meters—and allow trained emergency responders to secure and manage the scene.
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