At least 73 people have been killed in an explosion at a petrol station in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, local authorities say.
Many of those killed had been sheltering from torrential rain and flooding seen in Ghana's capital over the past few days. Billy Anaglate, a spokesman for Ghana Fire Service, said the cause of the explosion was unclear, although 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 suburbs submerged and people stranded. Emergency workers, soldiers and police were recovering bodies from the scene, with graphic footage on national television showing corpses being piled onto the back of a truck, with charred bodies trapped in the wreckage.Mr Anaglate said: "We are still trying to salvage the site of the accident before we can come out with an accurate figure."A police officer said the fire service alone 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 death toll 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".
