At least 40 killed in Liberian fuel tanker blast, says official

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A gasoline tanker explosion in north-central Liberia has claimed at least 40 lives, according to the country’s chief medical officer.

Francis Kateh confirmed the incident that occured late on Tuesday when a fuel truck crashed in Totota, Lower Bong County, leading to a subsequent explosion that resulted in numerous casualties.

The death toll is expected to go up, according to Mr Kateh.

Many suffered injuries in the explosion, with dozens currently hospitalised for severe burns. The explosion took place when a gasoline tanker collided and overturned into a ditch along a road in Totota, approximately 130km away from the capital, Monrovia.

“We have our team going from home to home to check those that are missing,” Mr Kateh told AFP.

Police earlier put the death toll at 15 and said at least 30 people were injured as locals gathered at the scene.

Following the crash, some local residents had started collecting the leaking gas from the tanker when it suddenly exploded, resulting in the death of more than 40 and causing injuries to others.

Reuters reported that this incident highlights the challenges of poor road safety and weak infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa, making it the world’s deadliest region for crashes, with a fatality rate three times higher than the European average, according to United Nations figures.

Meanwhile, it was reported that people climbed onto the truck to extract gas, with some using iron objects to hit the tanker, hoping it would burst, allowing them to access the fuel.

The truck driver informed the crowd that they could take the spilled gas.

“There were lots of people that got burned,” Prince B Mulbah, deputy inspector general for the Liberia National Police said.

An eyewitness told AFP that “people climbed all on top of the truck taking the gas, while some of them had irons hitting the tanker for it to burst for them to get gas”.

The eyewitness, identified as Aaron Massaquoi added: “People were all around the truck and the driver of the truck told them that the gas that was spilling they could take that.”

Additional reporting with agencies