  Accra Accra (Ghana) | |
| Date | 3 June 2015 |
|---|---|
| Location | Accra, Ghana |
| Coordinates | 5°34′4.8″N0°12′55.4″W / 5.568000°N 0.215389°W |
| Cause | Fuel fire, explosion, flooding |
| Deaths | 256 [1] |
On June 3, 2015, an explosion and a fire occurred at a petrol station in Ghana's capital city Accra, killing over 250 people. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The GOIL station, near Kwame Nkrumah Interchange [6] in the city's downtown area, was being used as a shelter from heavy rains and flooding from [7] several days of flooding in the city, and was packed with people, cars and buses, waiting to leave to their various destinations when the explosion occurred. The source of the explosion is unknown though believed to have occurred in the station's fuel tanks. One survivor stated that the power had gone out before the explosion, but after the power was restored, they heard a "pop" and then the fire erupted. [3] About 96 people were taking shelter at the station before they were killed by the fire. [3]
Due to the flooding, water had mixed in with the fuel, and when the tanks exploded, the water exacerbated the spread of the fire to nearby buildings, killing additional citizens. [3] The ongoing rainfall and flooding made rescue efforts difficult. [8] [9] So many bodies were taken to the 37 Military Hospital, the largest specialist hospital in Ghana, that the morgue was overwhelmed. [10] [11]
Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic incident at a petrol station in Accra in which so many people died or were seriously injured, the Holy Father sends heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased and injured, to the authorities and to the entire Nation. His Holiness commends the souls of the departed to Almighty God and willingly invokes the divine gifts of consolation and strength upon those who mourn and upon all who have been affected by this tragedy. [14]
The Accra Sport Stadium disaster occurred at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana, on 9 May 2001. It killed 126 people, making it the worst stadium disaster to have ever taken place in Africa. It is also the third-deadliest disaster in the history of association football behind the Estadio Nacional and Kanjuruhan Stadium disasters.
Energy resources bring with them great social and economic promise, providing financial growth for communities and energy services for local economies. However, the infrastructure which delivers energy services can break down in an energy accident, sometimes causing considerable damage. Energy fatalities can occur, and with many systems deaths will happen often, even when the systems are working as intended.
2015 in Ghana lists events of note that happened in the Ghana in the year 2015.
Kwame Nkrumah Interchange is a 3-tier interchange which was constructed to replace the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in the centre of the city of Accra, Ghana. It opened in 2016. The interchange is named in honour of Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who was the leading figure during the country's fight for independence from Britain. Both the current and the old edifices remain iconic landmarks of Ghana's capital city, Accra.
The 37 Military Hospital is a specialist hospital located in Accra, on the main road between the Kotoka International Airport and central Accra. It is the largest military hospital in the Republic of Ghana after the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The name 37 was because it was the 37th military hospital to be built in the British colony of West Africa. The hospital is also known for the story of the bats who never left their chief.
On 13 May 2014, blasting at Eynez coal mine in Soma, Manisa, Turkey, caused an underground mine fire, which burned until 15 May. In total, 301 people were killed, making it the worst mine disaster in Turkey's history. The mine, operated by coal producer Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş., suffered a fire, the causes of which were later found to be complex. The fire occurred at the mine's shift change, when 787 workers were underground. At the time, the disaster was thought to be mainly an explosion rather than fire. After the last bodies were pulled from the mine on 17 May 2014, four days after the fire, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yıldız confirmed the number of dead was 301. Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced the names of the 301 workers who died in the mine disaster and the 486 miners who survived.
On 31 July 2014, a series of gas explosions occurred in the Cianjhen and Lingya districts of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, following reports of gas leaks earlier that night. Thirty-two people were killed and 321 people were injured.
The 2015 Accra floods resulted from heavy continuous rainfall in Accra, the largest city in Ghana. The rain started on 1 June 2015. Other causes of this flood is as a result of the improper planning of settlement in Accra, choked gutters which block the drainage system and a few other human factors. The floods have resulted in heavy traffic on the roads in the city and also a halt in commercial activities as markets were flooded and workers trapped. Mayor of Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije described the flooding as critical. At least 25 people have died from the flooding directly, while a petrol station explosion caused by the flooding killed at least 200 more people.
Fodoa or Fodowa is a town in the Kwahu West Municipal District of the Eastern Region of Ghana.
On 7 October 2017, an offloading petrol tanker located at the state-owned Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) caught fire resulting in a large-scale explosion at the site of a liquefied natural gas station located at Atomic Junction in Madina, Accra, Ghana. The explosion was not isolated to the tanker at the station, with the fire promptly radiating towards a cooking gas depot situated next door. The Ministry of Information released a formal statement that confirmed 7 people had been killed and 132 people were injured during the blast.. Residents of the busy intersection in northeast Accra were forced to flee as the blasts were followed by a giant fireball erupting into the sky over eastern Accra. The Interior Minister, Hon. Ambrose Dery MP, attended the scene alongside other government officials and emergency service personnel from the Atomic Fire Brigade, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Police Service, and the National Disaster Management Organisation to monitor the situation. In the aftermath of the explosion, a constituency official delivered a statement to the Parliament of Ghana in which they addressed the threats posed to the public because of recurrent gas explosions in the region, including the threat to human lives, subsequent damage to properties and businesses, declines in available resources and nationwide job shortages. As a result of the quantity of both lives and properties lost, a statement was read in parliament encouraging the consideration of the relocation of such liquefied natural gas stations to the outside of residential regions and spaces accessible by the public. On 8 October 2017, Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President of Ghana, addressed the public during a press conference vowing a national response in the aftermath of the explosion to put new policies and procedures into action to minimise the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.
On 5 November 2021 a collision between a petrol fuel tanker and a lorry at a busy junction of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, resulted in an explosion and a fire that caused 154 deaths and 304 injuries, overwhelming the city's medical services.
On 20 January 2022, a large explosion occurred along the Tarkwa-Bogoso-Ayamfuri road in Western Region, Ghana, after a truck transporting mining explosives collided with a motorcycle. The explosion levelled the nearby Apiate village, killing 13 people and injuring 200.
The Boksburg explosion took place on 24 December 2022, when a fuel tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded underneath a railway bridge in Boksburg, in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, with a death toll of 41 people as of 18 January 2023. Nearby infrastructure was damaged by the explosion.
On 14 August 2023, a gas station exploded in the city of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, killing 35 people and injuring at least 80 others.
On 9 September 2023 a quarry site located in Anto Aboso in the Shama District in the Western Region of Ghana exploded. The site was operated by STA Addsams Enterprise and the Minerals Commission of Ghana found them to be operating illegally and without permit.
On 18 December 2023, an explosion and fire broke out at an oil depot in Conakry, Guinea, killing at least 24 people and injuring 454 and resulting in fuel shortages across the country.
Floods in Ghana refer to a series of flood incidents that have caused property damage and loss of life. Floods are caused by excessive rainfall and dam spillages.