More than 150 people have died in a devastating petrol station blast during heavy flooding in Ghana's capital, prompting the nation's leader to call three days of national mourning over the "catastrophic" loss of life.

The fire hit a filling station in Accra late Wednesday, causing an explosion at the pumps that killed dozens of people seeking shelter from torrential rains and widespread flooding in the area that also claimed numerous victims.

Flood waters had reached knee level on the road beside the Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) petrol station in the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area of the city before the fire, which caused an explosion at the pumps, according to eye-witnesses.

It was not immediately clear exactly how the victims died, with reports that some had drowned after being knocked unconscious and falling into the flood waters.

The GOIL filling station is next to a large open drain that carries water from surrounding areas to the sea.

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