Squatters residing near the Tema-Accra motorway disregarded safety precautions as they gathered around an overturned bulk road vehicle (BRV) to illegally extract diesel fuel following an early morning accident on Friday.

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The incident which occurred at about 5:15 am some 50 metres away from the Accra end of the tollbooth according to the Director of Public Relations at the Ghana National Service, Timothy Affum attracted a huge crowd of squatters who brought along the popular "Kuffuor Gallons" in their quest to siphon the fuel for sale to unsuspecting motorists.

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The Man Diesel truck with registration number, GE 4130 - 20, transporting 45,000 litres of diesel, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Affum said had cart the cargo from Tema heading to Accra when the incident occurred. 

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As of 11 am when Graphic Online visited the scene, a few squatters were seen scooping fuel substances from the surface of a nearby stream along the storm drains from the East Legon Boundary Road linking the motorway.

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A motorcyclist, who gave his name as Prosper Sottie and his team who had come to the scene with gallons in a tricycle (aboboya) got a little.

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He said he will go to sell to machine operators since the quality was no longer good for use by vehicles. 

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Sottie nevertheless was also seen negotiating with some of the squatters who were successful in siphoning some of the fuel which he said looked useful. 

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Safety

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To ward off the crowd, a police reinforcement team, he said was also called in to manage the traffic spillover from the gridlock that formed on the stretch as a result of the incident. 

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"To also reduce the probability of a fire outbreak as a result activities of the crowd, the team further applied the firefighting foam to the fuel, suppressing it from combustion. 

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ACFO Affum counselled motorists from purchasing what may seem to be cheap fuels in such situations, mindful of the dangers they could pose to their lives and vehicles as well.

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