At least 60 people have lost their lives after a gas tank exploded in Haiti, local authorities say.
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It was a truck carrying fuel that exploded in the city of Cap-Haiti in northern Haiti. Local media report that at least a dozen people have also been taken to hospital.
– We have so far counted 60 dead. Many of them are badly burned and almost impossible to identify, says Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor. He added that it is still easy to find possible victims among the wreckage after the explosion.
According to Almonor, the truck probably overturned when the driver lost control after turning away from a motorcycle taxi.
The fuel began to leak, and people are said to have flocked to collect some of the fuel from the street. The explosion comes at a time when Haiti is struggling with fuel shortages and sky-high gas prices.
Overwhelmed
Around 20 buildings nearby started burning as a result of the explosion, but it is unknown if there were people in the buildings.
– We are overwhelmed, says witness Dr. Calhil Turenne to the newspaper Le Nouvelliste.
Former Prime Minister Claude Joseph has tweeted about the incident.
– I share the pain and grief of all people, he writes.
“It is cruel what our country has to go through,” Dave Larose told AP. He is a civil engineer and works in the city. He was driving when he saw ambulances and a crowd by the road.
Many injured
The nearby hospital was overwhelmed that patients when they were injured were transported there after the explosion.
– We do not have the capacity to treat all the burned people. I am afraid we will not be able to save everyone, says a nurse at Justinien Hospital to AFP.
A doctor at the hospital says they have at least 40 seriously injured people for treatment.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry has declared national mourning as a result of the explosion.
– It was with sadness and pain that I got to know the gruesome news about the explosion in Cap-Haiti, he has written on Twitter.
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