A decade ago today, tragedy struck the heart of Accra when a deadly combination of flood and fire claimed 154 lives, leaving the nation in mourning. On the night of June 3, 2015, torrential rains battered the capital, triggering widespread flooding. But what began as a natural disaster quickly escalated into a catastrophe when an explosion at the GOIL fuel station near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle turned the crisis into one of Ghana’s worst peacetime tragedies.
As floodwaters rose, hundreds of people sought refuge at the fuel station, unaware of the danger building beneath them. Fuel leaking from the station spread across the water’s surface. A sudden spark ignited the flammable mix, unleashing a powerful explosion that engulfed the area in flames.
The aftermath was devastating. Streets were littered with charred bodies, and in the following days, more victims were discovered in drains and waterways. Emergency workers labored tirelessly for weeks to clear the destruction and recover the dead. In response, the government declared three days of national mourning.
In the months that followed, a government-appointed committee investigated the tragedy. Their findings traced the sequence of failures that led to the disaster and offered recommendations to prevent such events in the future.
Investigation and Unresolved Wounds
In the aftermath of the June 3 disaster, a government-appointed committee conducted a detailed investigation to determine the causes and recommend preventive measures.
“The flooding of Kwame Nkrumah Circle was the remote cause of the fire,” the report concluded. The immediate cause was traced to the overflow of fuel from the GOIL filling station, which mixed with the floodwaters. The final trigger, investigators found, was reportedly a lit cigarette dropped into the fuel-laced water by a man identified as Seth Kwesi Ofosu—a single spark that ignited a catastrophic explosion.
In addition to the 154 lives lost, another 154 people were injured, and five structures, including the filling station itself, were severely damaged. The total value of property destroyed was estimated at GHS 1.65 million.
The committee’s report called for urgent reforms. It recommended extensive drainage interventions, including dredging and desilting of the Odaw River and its tributaries, which regularly overflow during heavy rains. It also proposed the establishment of a sanitation police unit to enforce waste management laws and combat the rampant dumping of refuse in waterways.
Despite some efforts to implement these recommendations over the past decade, many observers argue that the core issues remain unaddressed. Accra continues to grapple with poor urban drainage, unregulated construction, and weak enforcement of environmental regulations.
As Ghana marks the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, survivors, bereaved families, and civil society organizations are renewing calls for accountability, structural reform, and political will. For them, remembrance must come with action—so that the horror of June 3, 2015, is never repeated.
