Gas station explosions in Ghana’s capital kill 6 people

In this image made made from video, a burning fuel tanker is seen at petrol station near Accra, Ghana. Ghana's deputy information minister says a tanker explosion at a gas-filling station, followed by a secondary blast, has left a number of casualties in the Legon suburb in northwest Accra. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah said a gas tanker exploded near the station and the initial fire has been controlled.

Six people are known to have died from gas explosions at Atomic Junction, near the Legon suburb in northwest Accra, Ghana National Fire Service spokesman Billy Anaglatey said on Sunday.

“As we speak, six people are dead due to this fire,” he said, adding that 35 were injured by the Saturday night explosions. Four of the 35 are in critical condition at the intensive care unit of the 37 Military Hospital.

The cause of the explosions is being investigated, said Mr. Anaglatey.

Sunday morning, burned steel frames show where the two gas stations were razed by the explosions.

“Some people said there were flames in the skies, l looked and saw the flames and was convinced something terrible had happened,” said James Appiah, a resident of North Legon, about 1 km (half a mile) from the explosion.

The tanker explosion at a gas station in Ghana late Saturday, was followed by a secondary blast, authorities said.

The filling station is near a transport terminal and close to some hostels for the University of Ghana in Accra.

Legon is a suburb of the capital and is also home to the main campus of the University of Ghana.

In May, an explosion at a factory in the Western Regional capital of Takoradi occurred as a tanker was discharging liquefied petroleum gas at the Ghana Household Utilities Manufacturing Company factory. That explosion killed at least six fire service personnel at the scene, and injured at least other 80 people, according to Ghana’s state news agency.