Death Toll Rises in Accra Floods and Petrol Station Fire

Rescue workers say, the death toll from a petrol station explosion and heavy flooding in Ghana’s capital, Accra, has risen to more than 150.
President John Dramani Mahama described the loss of life as “catastrophic and almost unprecedented” and announced that three days of national mourning would be held next week. A fire broke out late on Wednesday at a filling station where people had sought shelter from heavy rains that caused widespread flooding. The victims were burned beyond recognition where they stood under the station’s awning, or trapped and incinerated in the wreckage of cars and minivans on the station’s forecourt. Neighboring buildings were also set ablaze.