At least 24 dead following fuel tanker explosion in Haiti

Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The death toll has risen to at least 24 after a fuel tanker explosion in Haiti, local authorities reported Sunday. Dozens more people were injured.

Officials said many of the injured suffered burns over at least 80% of their bodies. The accident occurred Saturday near the commune of Miragoane about 60 miles west of the capital, Port-au- Prince .

The tanker collided with another vehicle and the explosion happened as people were scrambling to try to collect the spilled fuel, according to Spanish broadcaster RTVE . The driver reportedly warned people nearby not to get too close to the tanker before the explosion. As many as 20 cars and motorcycles were burned by the explosions ensuing fire.

"It's a horrible scene we've just witnessed," Haitian Prime Minister Garry Coville said at the Port-au-Prince airport, where some of the injured were taken.

This is not the first such multi-fatality fuel tanker accident and explosion in Haiti. More than 60 people died following a similar incident in 2021.

Haiti has been facing political unrest and violence for several years. Conille has reportedly been trying to restore order since the new government was formed three months ago. Nearly 580,000 people have been displaced by conflict, and close to five million are facing severe hunger, the United Nations has said.