TheCable

About 150 people were killed during an explosion which occurred at a petrol station in Accra, capital of Ghana, in the early hours of Thursday.

The blast was said to have been caused by a fire that erupted in a lorry terminal around the station.

Billy Anaglate, spokesman of the country’s fire brigade, told a local radio station that most of the victims sought shelter in the station as a result of downpour.

Anaglate said about a dozen people who sustained injuries have been taken to the hospital.

The fire started as people in the city are trying to cope with two days of heavy rain, which has left many homeless and without power.

President John Mahama has visited the burnt-out station and has appealed for calm as the authorities try to cope with the aftermath of the fire and the heavy rain, which has been hampering rescue efforts.

The country has declared three days for mourning.