Liberia.. More than 40 killed in tanker truck explosion
At least 40 people have been killed when a tanker truck exploded following an accident in central Liberia, police said Tuesday.
The tanker loaded with gasoline caught fire after falling into a hole on a road in tututa, 130 kilometers from the capital Monrovia.
Dr. Francis Kati told the local channel "Super bungiz TV" that it was difficult to determine the number of victims because some of them turned to ashes, but he estimated that more than 40 people were killed in the accident.
"We have a team going from house to house to check for missing people," he told AFP.
Earlier, the police reported that 15 people were killed and at least 30 injured due to a gathering of passers-by at the scene.
Deputy inspector general of the National Police Prince Mulbah said that "a large number of people suffered burns".
Police officer Malvin Sakur added that after the incident, some local residents began to fill up the leaking gasoline before the tank exploded, killing and injuring people, AFP reports.
He noted that the police are continuing to count the total number of dead and injured.
An eyewitness from tututa told AFP that"people climbed on top of the truck to collect gasoline, while others knocked on the truck with metal pieces to pierce it so that they could get gasoline".
He added that the driver " asked them not to climb on top of the tank and stop knocking on it .. But some were using screwdrivers to make holes in it".
