At least 73 people have been killed in an explosion at a petrol station in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. The blast was caused by flooding that swept stored fuel into a nearby fire, according to an official.Some reports said the accident in the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area may have spread from a nearby home or lorry terminal.
Michael Plange, who lives nearby, said many of those killed had taken shelter under a shed at the station because of two days of torrential rain that has left many parts of the city submerged and people stranded.
Emergency workers, soldiers and police were seen recovering bodies from the scene.
Graphic footage on national television showed the dead being piled onto the back of a truck, with charred bodies trapped in the wreckage.
A police officer said the fire service had retrieved 73 bodies, while Red Cross disaster management coordinator Francis Obeng put the death toll at "more than 70".
Local hospitals said morgues were full, with the number of dead likely to rise, according to security officials.
A shaken President Dramani Mahama toured the scene, describing the loss of life as "catastrophic and almost unprecedented", adding: "A lot of people have lost their lives and I am lost for words."
Communications minister Edward Omane Boamah described the situation as a "national emergency".
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