An oil tanker exploded in the suburbs of Frithaon, the capital of Sierra Leone. EPA Yonhap News
At least 108 people have been killed and 92 injured in a tanker explosion in the suburb of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
According to Sierra Leone’s National Disaster Headquarters (NDMA) on the 6th (local time), the accident occurred around 10 p.m. the previous day when a tanker filled with oil and a truck loaded with marble collided.
At that time, the tanker was entering to supply oil to a roadside gas station.
Drivers got out of their cars right after the crash and shouted at the crowd to stay away, the government said.
Meanwhile, residents flocked to collect the oil, and as they moved the oil, a fire and an explosion occurred, the Associated Press reported, citing eyewitnesses.
Huge fireballs were seen burning in the night sky as some survivors with severe burns scream in pain.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Madavio, who was attending the UN Climate Change Conference, tweeted after the accident, saying, “I express my condolences to those who have lost loved ones and their families.”
President Bio also canceled plans to attend a special meeting of the West African Economic Zones Summit to be held in Ghana on the 7th.
The injured have been taken to several hospitals in Freetown for treatment and are said to have suffered burns of varying degrees.
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