Global Disasters/ Significant Events – June 5, 2015

More than 200 killed after explosion destroys service station in Accra, Ghana

President Mahama has described the incident as “catastrophic” and “almost unprecedented,” announcing  three days of mourning, beginning on Monday, after the incident was declared a national disaster.

An extreme rain event which began on Monday has paralyzed  much of the Ghanaian capital Accra, blocking roads, cutting off power and flooding scores of homes.

Floodwater  helped cause the fire, said the fire service.

The flood “caused the diesel and petrol to flow away from the gas station, and fire from a nearby house led to the explosion,” a spokesman told the AP.

Many of the victims in the service station were sheltering from the downpours when the explosion occurred.

Dozens killed in E. Ukraine as fighting flares up

Dozens of people have been killed in E Ukraine over the past day as fighting flared up, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday,  said a report.

Millions of US government employees hit by data breach

Chinese hackers are suspected of carrying out a “massive breach” of data, which could potentially affect every federal agency, officials said.

Personal records of four million former and current government employees “may have been breached,” officials said.