Torrential rains, filling station fire kill hundreds in Accra

Hundreds of people have been killed during torrential rains in Accra, and a fire at a filling station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

Most of the deaths were as a result of an explosion at the Goil Filling Station where commuters and drivers have gone to seek shelter from the torrential rains. The fire engulfed buildings, vehicles and other structures nearby resulting in the high casualty.

For most of the day, bodies are being retrieved from drains and buildings surrounding the fuel station, and the number is estimated to be around 150.

Some citizens have been forced out of their homes, as compounds have been flooded. Roads have been washed up and some fences of home have collapsed.

Some of the dead are believed to have drowned in the floods.

The rains began around 5:30pm Wednesday and continued until the early hours of Thursday.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi