200 people died in gas station explosion, Ghana mourned for 3 days

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has declared three days of national mourning for the victims of a petrol station explosion in the capital Accra, as the death toll rose to 200.

Everything at the gas station was burned down after the explosion - Photo: independent.co.uk

According to NBC News on June 5, Mr. Mahama sent condolences to the victims' families and pledged to take measures to prevent the disaster from happening again.

He also announced that the government will spend about $12 million on relief activities for victims and their families as well as repairing damaged infrastructure.

The explosion happened on the night of June 3, described by Mr. Mahama as a "tragic accident" at a time when many people were gathering at the gas station to avoid heavy rain and flooding.

Witnesses initially reported hearing a loud bang, followed by screams from those trapped. The explosion sparked a fire that destroyed nearby cars parked in floodwaters.

"When I got there, firefighters and people were trying to rescue survivors and put out the fire," witness Kingsley Osei Bonsu told NBC News. "There were drowned and charred bodies everywhere."

Xinhua News Agency quoted a source from Ghana's Ministry of Interior as saying that by noon today, June 5, the death toll had increased to more than 200 people, with 35 survivors being treated in hospitals.

Local media said that in addition to the deaths caused by the gas station explosion, many drowning cases were also recorded in many places in the city after two days of torrential rain.

The death toll from the explosion and flooding is expected to continue to rise.

(According to TTO)