Ten years ago today, disaster struck the heart of Accra in a deadly combination of flood and fire that killed 154 people and left the country in shock. On the night of June 3, 2015, as torrential rains pounded the capital, an explosion at the GOIL filling station near Kwame Nkrumah Circle turned an already dire flood emergency into a national tragedy.
Hundreds of individuals, caught in the downpour and rising floodwaters, had sought shelter at the fuel station. But as water levels surged, fuel leaked from the station and floated across the surface. In a flash, a spark triggered a massive explosion, engulfing the area in flames.
The aftermath was grim as bodies were scattered across the streets, and some were found days later in open drains. Emergency responders faced a harrowing task as they worked for weeks to clear the devastation. The government declared three days of national mourning.
In the wake of the tragedy, a government-appointed committee launched an investigation into what caused the fire and how similar disasters could be avoided. Their report outlined a chain of events that led to the explosion.
“The flooding of Kwame Nkrumah was the remote cause of the fire,” the report said. It identified the overflow of fuel from the GOIL station as the intermediate cause. The final spark, according to the findings, was the act of an individual, Seth Kwesi Ofosu, who reportedly dropped a lit cigarette into the floodwaters laced with fuel.
The explosion also caused injuries to another 154 people and damaged five structures, including the filling station. The total value of property loss was estimated at GHS 1.65 million.
The committee recommended extensive drainage works, including the dredging and desilting of the Odaw River and its tributaries, which are prone to overflowing during rains. It also proposed the creation of a sanitation police force to help enforce environmental and waste disposal regulations.
While some remedial efforts have been undertaken over the years, many believe the deeper structural issues that contributed to the disaster remain unresolved. Poor urban drainage, inadequate waste management, and unregulated construction continue to pose risks in the city.
As the nation reflects on the tenth anniversary of the June 3 disaster, survivors, victims’ families, and civil society groups are once again calling for accountability and sustained action to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.
