Ghana explosion ‘kills five’

At least five people are reported dead and 12 others injured in an explosion in Ghana’s capital, Accra, according to local media.

The explosion at the gas filling station in Labadi, which is close to a national exhibition centre and a university, occurred at 18:00 local time on Thursday.

Witnesses told journalists that they heard a loud bang and then saw huge flames billowing into the sky.

Injured persons were reported to have suffered severe burns and have been sent to the hospital. Several images of charred bodies from the explosion have also been shared on Whatsapp.

It is unclear what had caused the explosion but fire officers were called to the scene to put out the flames which was said to have been spreading.

The fire also caused a black out in the area as some electricity cables reportedly, also caught fire.

Ghana’s incoming president Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed sadness over the incident in a Facebook posts.

He also called for a “second look” at the location of gas stations in the country and “strict enforcement” of safety regulations to prevent “such avoidable incidents”.

In 2015, two explosions at separate gas filling stations in Accra killed two people and injured several others.

In the same year, a deadly explosion at a fuel station in the capital killed more than 150 people.