The death toll in the petrol station explosion and flood in Ghana’s capital Accra has risen to over 200, according to figures from the interior ministry Thursday. The inferno followed hours of heavy downpour in Accra that led to power outages in several communities. Most of the dead bodies had been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital where 35 survivors are undergoing treatment.
It is still not clear what triggered the fire at the gas station operated by Ghana’s state oil company GOIL.
Eyewitnesses say that the blast was a result of petrol spillage on the surface of the flooding water, which sparked fire from a nearby trading center.
Many victims were taking shelter at the station from days of heavy downpours that have triggered widespread flooding and paralyzed public transport in the city, said the witnesses.
Emergency response personnel are still working at the scene to retrieve any bodies buried under the debris of the station.
On Thursday morning, President John Dramani Mahama expressed his condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives in the fire, describing the number of deaths reported in the fire and floods as catastrophic and almost unprecedented. He also declared three days of National mourning
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