File: Black smoke from the scene of an explosion

More than 120 people were injured on Tuesday in a gas explosion in Ghana’s western seaport of Sekondi-Takoradi, some 220 kilometres west of the capital, Accra.

Doctors at Effia Nkwanta Hospital said that staff there had treated 122 people for various degrees of injuries.

Fire fighters had been called to extinguish a blaze at a company site when a larger, second explosion occurred, Emmanuel Bonney, a spokesman for the Western Regional Fire Service, said.

“Many people, including the crew fighting the fire and those on the streets, sustained injuries”, Bonney said, adding that the fire had spread to the street and razed a nearby warehouse.

It was not yet clear what caused the explosion. Fire personnel say investigation had been launched. (dpa/NAN)