In the bitterly poor Caribbean state of Haiti there is a lack of essentials, especially gasoline. When a tanker truck overturns, residents sense their chance and want to fill up a few canisters. Then it comes to a catastrophe.
Cap-Haïtien – Dozens of people were killed in a tank truck explosion in Haiti. At least 60 people were killed when a tanker truck loaded with gasoline caught fire and exploded in the city of Cap-Haïtien.
The number of victims could rise even further, said Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor on Tuesday on RFM radio. Around 20 houses burned down after the explosion. Numerous people were injured. The hospitals are overwhelmed by the high number of injuries, according to a report in the newspaper “Le Nouvelliste”. The authorities announced that they would set up field hospitals in Cap-Haïtien to treat the wounded.
“The city is in shock. People are in a panic and now we see the extent of the destruction. Many injured and burned people are taken to hospital. It’s dramatic, ”the HPN news agency quoted an eyewitness as saying.
Three days of national mourning
The Haiti government ordered a three-day state mourning. “On behalf of my government and the entire Haitian people, I extend my deep condolences to the families of the victims and all those who are directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy,” Prime Minister Henry Ariel wrote on Twitter.
The tanker truck was apparently involved in an accident before the explosion and overturned. As a result, numerous people flocked to the site to steal gasoline. The fuel ignited and the truck exploded.
There has been a great shortage of fuel in Haiti for weeks. Blockades and attacks by criminal gangs who control areas and important roads are preventing fuel deliveries in the poor Caribbean country.
Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent and suffers from violence, corruption and natural disasters. According to the United Nations, around 4.4 million of Haiti’s eleven million inhabitants need humanitarian aid. dpa
