At least 40 people killed in fuel tanker explosion in Liberia

Mr Francis Kateh, head of the Lower Bong county health department, said dozens of people were still in hospital with serious burns and the death toll could rise.

Scene of the tanker explosion. Photo: AFP

Specifically, the accident occurred late Tuesday (December 26) when a fuel tanker truck had an accident in Lower Bong County (about 130 km from Liberia's capital Monrovia) and then overturned, causing gasoline to spill out.

According to police, after the tanker truck overturned, some local residents began gathering at the scene to collect the leaked gasoline. At this time, the truck suddenly exploded, causing many casualties at the scene.

Witness Aaron Massaquoi from Totota recounted that at that time many people even climbed on the roof of the truck to get gasoline, while some people used hard objects to hit the gasoline tank to break it open and get the gasoline.

"A lot of people gathered around the truck and the truck driver told them that they could get the fuel that was spilling out," Massaquoi said, adding that the driver asked people not to climb on the tanker and hit the tank, but some even used screwdrivers to punch holes in the tank.

Poor infrastructure and unsafe road systems have made sub-Saharan Africa the world's deadliest region, with a death rate three times higher than the European average, according to United Nations figures.

Ngoc Anh (according to AFP, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/xe-bon-phat-no-it-nhat-40-nguoi-thiet-mang-khi-den-thu-gom-xang-o-liberia-post278828.html