At least 96 people died as a fire broke out and engulfed a petrol station in Ghana's capital Accra on Thursday.

The fire erupted as the city is dealing with the consequences of two days of heavy rain, which left many people homeless and without electricity.

The cause of the fire has not been identified yet, but it might have occurred due to the flood, which hampered the rescue efforts.

There are fears that the number of victims could rise as the search of the site continues, the BBC reports.

It is believed that people were seeking shelter from the torrential rainfall at the petrol station when the fire broke out.

According to spokesman of the fire service, the waters caused the diesel and petrol to flow away from the gas station, which coupled with a fire from a nearby house led to the explosion.

Ghanaian President John Mahama visited the site of the incident and called for calm and allowing the authorities to deal with the consequences of the fire and flooding.

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