Ghana petrol station inferno kills 90 in Accra

More than 90 people have died in a fire at a petrol station in Ghana's capital, Accra, the fire service says.

The fire started as people in the city are trying to cope with two days of heavy rain, which has left many homeless and without power.
There are fears that the death toll could rise as the search for bodies continues.
It is thought that people were in the petrol station sheltering from the downpours when the fire broke out, our correspondent says.
President John Mahama has visited the burnt-out petrol station and appealed for calm as the authorities try to cope with the aftermath of the fire and the flooding.
He praised the rescue workers for their work and the lives that they did manage to save but said he was lost for words to express his feelings for those who died.
Burnt out petrol station
The petrol station was totally destroyed by the fire
Men stand over a body
One of those who died in the blaze was a child
Mother being consoled
The child's mother was consoled by bystanders
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Two days of heavy rain has brought much of the city to its knees.
There are chaotic scenes with cars being carried away by the water and many roads blocked off.
Hundreds have been trapped in their offices and some have been forced to spend the night in their cars as traffic came to a standstill.
Parts of Accra have been left without power as electricity sub-stations have been damaged in the flooding, which is making the ongoing energy shortages even worse.
Flooded street scene
Cars have been washed away and roads have been blocked by the flooding
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Many homes have been inundated and people have been wandering around in their nightclothes after being forced to leave their beds.
One man told a local radio station that he had put his children on top of a wardrobe to save them from the water coming into his house.
President Mahama said that "people building in waterways [and] littering the drains" had contributed to the flooding in the city.
Weather forecasters are saying that more rain is on its way.

BBC


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