The chief medical officer of Liberia reported that over 40 individuals lost their lives and many others suffered severe burns due to a petrol tanker explosion in the central part of the country.
According to witnesses, individuals climbed onto the truck in an attempt to collect spilled gasoline from its tank after it overturned and fell into a ditch on a road in Totota, approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) away from Monrovia on Tuesday.
According to a resident, Aaron Massaquoi, some individuals used metal objects to strike the tanker in order to cause it to rupture and obtain fuel.
Massaquoi stated that a group of individuals had gathered around a truck and the truck’s driver gave them permission to take the leaked gas.
He instructed them to refrain from climbing onto the tanker and to cease hitting it… however, some individuals were even using screwdrivers to create holes in the tank.
According to Liberia’s chief medical officer Francis Kateh, determining the death toll has been made challenging due to the severe burns suffered by the victims.
According to the statement he gave to AFP, his teams are currently conducting a door-to-door search in order to determine the number of individuals who are unaccounted for.
Liberia ranks as the tenth least wealthy nation globally, with over half of its population of five million residing in conditions of extreme poverty.
Former AC Milan player and current President of Liberia, George Weah, who will be leaving his position on January 22nd, expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
The presidency stated that over 40 deaths have been documented thus far.
According to reports, certain individuals in the vicinity tried to gather the contents of the stranded tanker before the explosion occurred.
At first, authorities estimated that 15 individuals had been killed and 30 others injured, but the number of fatalities has significantly increased. “There were numerous individuals who sustained burns,” stated Prince B Mulbah, deputy inspector general for the Liberia national police.
Malvin Sackor, a police officer, stated that a few residents were gathering the spilled gasoline when the tanker suddenly burst into flames.
Dozens of individuals have suffered severe burns, according to Chief Medical Officer Kateh.
According to Cynthia Blapooh, the local health chief, children and a pregnant woman are among the patients with the most severe injuries. This was reported in the newspaper Front Page Africa.
The statement from the president confirmed that numerous injured individuals from the incident have been taken to different hospitals.
The President has given his full support for health authorities to increase staffing and resources as needed in their urgent efforts to save lives.
Source: theguardian.com
