Over 90 people are dead after a petrol station in Ghana's capital blew up while people took shelter there from torrential downpours and flooding, authorities said Thursday.


The Ghana Fire Service said crews were still recovering bodies from the scene in Accra, which was littered with the charred remains of the dead.

Initial reports said 73 bodies had been found, but the figure has now increased to 93, according to Citifmonline.

Mr Anaglate said the death toll had not been finalised: "We are still trying to salvage the site of the accident before we can come out with an accurate figure."

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. Neighbours of the gas station, near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, said many people had gone to the station amid heavy flooding in the area.

Graphic footage aired on national television early Thursday showing corpses being piled onto the back of a truck, while others were trapped amid the debris. Neighbouring buildings that had caught fire burned into the night as floodwaters around the site hampered recovery efforts.

Michael Plange, who lives near the fuel station, said those who took shelter at the station "got trapped when the explosion happened".
Dozens of pictures of the aftermath of the explosion, and the flooding that proceeded it, are being shared on Twitter.

Police public affairs officer Cephas Arthur urged the public to stay away from the scene while emergency workers recover the "trapped bodies".

State radio reported that Accra and other cities across the country have been flooded.

More extreme graphics pictures below