In brief: Blast, flooding kill at least 150 in Ghana

ACCRA, Ghana – The death toll from a huge gas station explosion and flooding in Ghana’s capital has more than doubled to 150 people, the president said Thursday night.

Dozens of people had sought shelter at the gas station and in nearby shops in central Accra to escape the torrential rains at the time of Wednesday night’s blast. Flooding swept fuel being stored at the station into a nearby fire, triggering the explosion that also set ablaze neighboring buildings, officials said.

The West African nation will observe three days of mourning with flags flying at half-staff, and the government will allocate about $12 million for relief operations and to repair damaged infrastructure, President John Dramani Mahama told journalists before heading into an emergency meeting.

Bombers hit barracks, market

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – A suicide bomber exploded a car at a checkpoint outside a military barracks and killed eight soldiers on Thursday, witnesses said of the latest of daily attacks blamed on Boko Haram in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri.

Later, a second bomb exploded near the main market in Yola, the first such attack to hit the capital of neighboring Adamawa state, police and witnesses said. At least two people were killed, police Deputy Superintendent Othman Abubakar said. Hospital workers said they were treating 30 injured.

Burundi elections postponed

BUJUMBURA, Burundi – Presidential and parliamentary elections have been postponed in Burundi, an official said Thursday, following weeks of unrest in the capital over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office.

Regional bloc, the East African Community, on Sunday asked the Burundian government to postpone elections for at least 45 days and use that time to ensure there is a conducive environment to hold the polls. More than 90,000 Burundians have fled the country fearing violence.