By More than 15 people have been killed and around 40 injured after a petrol tanker truck exploded in southern Haiti, according to interim Prime Minister Garry Conille.
Conille said in a social media post that he had spoken to authorities in the region of Nippes, where Saturday’s explosion took place. Civil protection crews and other officials were mobilized. “The government stands in solidarity with all the victims and their families and plans evacuations via helicopter,” Conille wrote.
The explosion occurred as victims were trying to collect fuel that was leaking from the truck, witnesses told the AFP news agency.
The injured were taken to Sainte Therese Hospital in the port city of Miragoane, about 100 km (60 miles) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Emmanuel Pierre, the national head of Civil Protection, told AFP that those in serious condition would be transferred to other regional hospitals for further treatment.
This is not the first time that Haiti has seen a deadly tanker truck explosion in recent years. In 2021, dozens were killed in the northern city of Cap-Haitien when a truck derailed while trying to avoid a motorbike.
The Caribbean nation also has dealt with periodic fuel shortages, exacerbated by soaring gang violence that has gripped Port-au-Prince and other areas.
