A truck collided with a tanker in the capital of Sierra Leone. Several people came to the scene of the accident to siphon off gasoline before an explosion occurred.
Freetown – Dozens of people were killed in a collision between a tanker truck and a truck in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The accident happened on Friday evening in a busy street in the capital, Freetown.
According to eyewitness reports, many people rushed to the tanker after the collision with containers to siphon off gasoline. Shortly afterwards the truck exploded. Some surrounding shops and cars caught fire, it said.
Employees of a hospital near the scene of the accident confirmed to the German press agency on Saturday that rescue workers had brought in 80 bodies during the night. The local TV station AYV spoke of 400 victims on Saturday morning.
President Julius Maada Bio, who attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) on Friday, is expected in Freetown shortly, a government spokesman said. Due to the “tragic accident” Bio canceled a planned trip to a meeting of the West African economic community Ecowas in Ghana. dpa
ALERT: At least 91 people killed as a fuel tanker exploded in a suburb of the Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. pic.twitter.com/FTmNI82jEZ
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) November 6, 2021