Accra, Jan. 24, GNA - President John Atta Mills on Saturday made a personal donation of GH¢2,000.00 cash and drinks to the family of Mr Thomas Ebo Friar, who was killed in last Tuesday's fire disaster at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).

The fire, which gutted the loading gantry of the Refinery, killed Mr Friar and one other person while several fuel tankers were also burnt.

Sixty-year old Friar, a loader at the gantry, had less than two months to retire at the time of the tragedy, officials told the Ghana News Agency. Dr Kwabena Donkor, Deputy Minister of Energy, who made the presentation on behalf of the President to Mr Friar's family during his funeral in Tema, said Prof Mills was heart-broken by the deaths and wished the bereaved family well.

President Mills had earlier visited the bereaved family's home and expressed his condolences to the members. Dr Donkor also presented GH¢1,000.00 from the Ministry of Energy a= nd a personal donation of GH¢500.00 by Energy Minister Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei to= the bereaved family. The funeral attracted a large gathering of mourners, mostly staff of=

the Refinery, including the Managing Director, Dr Kwame Ampofo. Management of TOR said the blaze did not affect the main processing plants of the facility and gave the assurance that there would not be any=

fuel shortage. The 45,000 barrels-per-day Refinery resumed its core processing of petroleum in October last year after it was shut down for almost a year a= s a result of a huge debt burden that prevented it from buying crude oil for processing.