An explosion at a gas station in Ghana’s capital killed at least seven people and injured more than 130 others on Saturday, government officials and news reports said.
Videos on social media showed giant balls of flames that set the night sky aglow.
According to one witness, Susan Ebetaleye, 22, a student at the University of Ghana, a fire started at a gas station in the capital, Accra, and then spread to another station nearby. She said there was an explosion that engulfed at least one tanker.
At least 132 others were injured, according to a statement released by the government and cited by local news media. Most of the injured suffered burns, Billy Anaglate, a fire service spokesman, said on Sunday, according to Reuters.
He said the cause of the explosions was still being investigated.
“There was some panic, and we all just moved away from the scene,” George Agbey, who was near the explosion, told The Associated Press. “It was like refugees moving away from a war-torn zone.”
Abu Ramadan, an official with the National Disaster Management Organization, told JoyNews late on Saturday that emergency responders had not been able to gain access to a convenience store at the gas station, and that it was unclear whether anyone was inside.
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SOURCE: NY Times, Tony Iyare and Matt Stevens
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