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The atmosphere at the Reverend Ernest Bruce Memorial Methodist Church at Adabraka was sombre as people thronged the mission to mark the first anniversary of the June 3, 2015 twin disaster.

The victims of the fire and flood disasters saw various dignitaries including President John Dramani Mahama and Ministers of State as well as survivors of the disaster and relatives of the deceased in attendance.

Traders and residents of the area also filled the church and the streets.

Mr Alfred Okoh Vanderpuije, Chief Executive Officer of Accra Metropolitan Assembly encouraged Ghanaians to turn to God in their time of grief as they remember those who lost their lives on the night of June 3, 2015.

“We must resolve to work together to prevent a recurrence of such a disaster,” he said.

He noted that Ghana had learnt a lot of lessons from the disaster and had undertaken a number initiatives since June 3.

He explained that government had so far been able to identify 108 of the victims and had paid compensation to their families.

However there are still bodies of some victim who are yet to be identified and called on families whose relatives had not been found since the fateful night to come and help identify the remaining bodies.

Government, he noted, had also paid the medical bills of survivors who were injured and paid about 15 of them so far.

About 420,000 metric tonnes of silt had also been dredged from the Korle Lagoon and Odaw River, constituting about 45 per cent of the work to be done on the project.

Mr Vanderpuije said clean-up exercises would continue to be done around the circle, Abossey Okai and Kaneshie areas to dispose of the refuse generated, while drains across the city would be desilted to ensure the tragedy did not recur.

Right Reverend Samuel Kofi Osabutey, Bishop of the Accra Archdiocese of the Methodist Church Ghana, who gave the sermon entreated Ghanaians to be morally responsible and to act responsibly towards the environment and towards each other.

“Development without moral responsibility is irresponsibility that can lead to the destruction of our common humanity,” he stated.

Rt Rev Osabutey noted that it is important in such disasters to turn to God for help, look up to scripture, offer praises to God and learn lessons from the incident.

He said the disaster “should make us recognise God’s ownership of the land and to recognise that we were only stewards”.

President John Dramani Mahama and others, after the memorial service, laid wreaths at the site of the former GOIL Filling Station where the twin fire and flood disaster claimed 160 lives and left several others injured at a short ceremony on the theme: “Never Again-June 3rd Disaster; Focus on Health and Safety.”

President Mahama laid a wreath on behalf of the people and the government, Greater Accra Regional Minister Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, laid one on behalf of the Region, Mr Vanderpuije, on behalf of the city of Accra and Mr Moses Asaga, Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority on behalf of the Oil Marketing Companies.

Madam Faustina Asare, a relative of one of the deceased also laid a wreath on behalf of the bereaved families.

Nii Duodu Nsarkie III, Acting President of the Ga Traditional Council and Nii Armah Ashitey, Member of Parliament for the Korle Klottey were also at the scene of the disaster.

Dr Albert Brown Gaisie, Chief Fire Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service interacting with the media said it is a collective national responsibility to ensure that such an event did not happen again.

He said during such incidents, emergency services like the Ghana National Fire Service also suffer as their lives were in danger, thus the body had taken the responsibility to continue to educate the public on fire safety, prevention, precaution and protection.

“We would need the cooperation of the public to ensure fire safety, that is the only way we can ensure adequate fire safety in this country,” he said.

Madam Sarah Asare Quao, mother of one of the victims-Millicent Tagoe who lost her life at 45, said coping with the loss of her daughter had been very difficult for the family, especially as she was a single mother with three children.

Razak Abdul, a survivor, who sustained serious burns on his face, which has left him scared bemoaned the stigmatisation that he had to endure as a result of his burns.

He said life after the incident had been mostly hard for him although there were some good days.

He said some people are afraid to come near him and run away at the sight of his scars, while others sometimes sympathise with him.

“People sometimes get scared of you and even run away. That is where if you don’t encourage yourself, you cannot live,” he said.

Other activities lined up to mark the anniversary of the disaster include a choral night at the Rev Ernest Bruce Memorial Methodist Church on Friday night, a service at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Saturday; June 4, and final remembrance services in churches across the nation on Sunday.