More than 15 people killed, 40 injured in Haiti tanker truck explosion
More than 15 people have been killed and about 40 injured when a tanker truck leaking petrol exploded in southern Haiti, interim Prime Minister Garry Conille says.
Conille said in a social media post that he had spoken to authorities in the region of Nippes, where Saturday’s explosion took place. Civil protection crews and other officials were mobilised.
“The government stands in solidarity with all the victims and their families and plans evacuations via helicopter,” Conille wrote.
The blast occurred as the victims were trying to retrieve fuel that was leaking from the truck, witnesses said.
The injured were transported to Sainte Therese Hospital in the port city of Miragoane, about 100km (60 miles) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Emmanuel Pierre, national head of Civil Protection, told the AFP news agency that victims in serious condition would be taken for treatment to other regional hospitals.
A witness said the truck’s gas tank had been punctured by another vehicle, and people rushed to the site to collect the fuel.
“There were a lot of people. Those who were close to the truck got pulverised,” said the man, who did not give his name, in a video interview with local news outlet Echo Haiti Media.
When asked how many people might have been killed in the blast, he said it was difficult to say.
“You can’t know, because there were a lot of people, bystanders and those collecting oil. There were a lot of people,” he said.
This is not the first time that Haiti has seen a deadly tanker truck explosion in recent years.
In 2021, dozens of people were killed in the northern city of Cap-Haitien when a truck derailed while trying to avoid a motorbike.
The Caribbean nation also has dealt with periodic fuel shortages, exacerbated by soaring gang violence that has gripped Port-au-Prince and other areas.
Fuel deliveries to the Miragoane area have slowed in recent weeks as trucks were transported via ferry to avoid gang-controlled highways surrounding Port-au-Prince.