At least 17 people were killed and 59 injured Thursday in a devastating explosion in a western Ghana town after a truck carrying mining explosives collided with a motorcycle, the government said.

The blast created a huge crater and leveled dozens of buildings in Apiate, west of the mineral-rich West African country's capital Accra.

Footage showed locals rushing toward a raging fire and rising plumes of black smoke to inspect the damage, and rescue workers went through the rubble to search for and retrieve bodies. 

"A total of 17 people have unfortunately been confirmed dead, and 59 injured people have been rescued," Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said in a statement released overnight.

On Thursday, a vehicle carrying mining explosives collided with a motorcycle and triggered a “huge explosion” that devastated a village near Bogoso, Ghana, according to the #Ghana Police Service. Injuries and fatalities have been reported. pic.twitter.com/Pkjo32zNIc

— Journalist Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) January 20, 2022

Preliminary reports revealed it was "an accident involving a truck transporting explosive materials for a mining company, a motorcycle, and a third vehicle,” according to the Minister.

Out of 59 people injured, 42 are receiving treatment in hospitals or health centers and "some are in critical condition", Nkrumah added.

The government said those in critical condition would be moved to hospitals in Accra and police asked surrounding villages to open their schools and churches to accommodate any additional casualties.

A team of police and army explosion experts were deployed to the explosion site to "avoid a second explosion," the government said in a press release.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo called it a "truly sad, unfortunate and tragic incident" and expressed "deep condolences to the families of the deceased."

Government will spare no effort to ensure a rapid return to a situation of normalcy for residents of Apiate. 4/4

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) January 20, 2022

On his part, Sedzi Sadzi Amedonu, Deputy Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization, told AFP, "It's a black Thursday. So far 500 houses have been affected. Some have been razed down completely by the explosion while others have developed cracks." 

"It's almost like a ghost town now."

Hmmmmm sad pic.twitter.com/PhfVT4De6w

— BURNERX🗨️ (@QuasiBurnerxx) January 20, 2022

It seems that fuel accidents are no stranger to Ghana, as the African nation has been rocked by several deadly explosions in recent years.

In 2017, at least three people were killed and dozens injured after a tanker truck carrying natural gas caught fire in Accra, triggering explosions at two fuel stations and killing three people.

Another fire and explosion hit the capital of Ghana in June 2015, when more than 150 people died as they sought shelter from seasonal rains and flooding at a petrol station. 

Mining-related accidents are also frequent in Ghana, Africa's second-largest gold producer after South Africa, but they are mostly caused by the collapse of mines.

In June, at least nine people died in the collapse of a mine in northern Ghana.