‘I need surgery to help me marry in future‘– Survivor of June 3 disaster cries for help

Solomon Akrigu, a 22-year-old survivor of the June 3 disaster at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, has shared his plight in the aftermath of the incident in a documentary titled “Flood of Trauma”.

Having suffered severe burns during the tragedy when he was just 12 years old, Solomon is now reaching out to the public, seeking assistance because he feels abandoned and neglected.

Solomon Akrigu's life took a tragic turn on that fateful day when the disaster struck and since then, he has been battling the physical and emotional scars of the incident with a disfigured face.

According to him, he has endured immense pain and hardship, grappling with the stigma attached with his appearance.

In the Joy News documentary, Solomon shared the difficulties he faces daily. He explained that his only means of survival is to beg for alms on the streets, but even that path is fraught with challenges.

“For now, how I eat is that unless I go to the traffic light to beg before I can eat. Some of them they don’t give me anything, others sack me when they see me, people don’t even want me closer to their cars when they see me, some of them said I should remove my face and go and look for a job … most of them think that I am wearing a mask, that is how they think .

He added “I need surgery because wherever I go people don’t want to associate with me because of how I look, so I need surgery to help me marry in future.”

He further revealed that he spends his nights seeking refuge at people's shops.

“I am really suffering, for here that I am, I am really suffering, the hardship is too much …I am always scared when it starts to rain, because I sleep at people's shops, I don’t have any place to sleep

"…I need surgery because wherever I go, people don’t want to associate with me because of how I look. So, I need surgery to help me marry in the future," Solomon expressed with hope.

Heavy rains which started in the late hours of Tuesday, June 2, 2015, continued into the next day, June 3, leading to severe flooding in several parts of the country, with Accra being the worst affected.

An explosion at a GOIL fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle resulted in the deaths of over 150 persons and left many others injured. Significant donations were made and money was promised to the victims and the bereaved families.

As a little boy, all Solomon remembers from the incident was that he was sleeping and his father was not around and got trapped and burnt in the process.

AM/SARA

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