A tanker truck explosion in southwestern Haiti on Saturday killed 24 people, authorities said. Witnesses said the victims had been trying to collect fuel that had leaked from the vehicle.
Haiti’s civil defence chief Emmanuel Pierre told AFP that around 40 people were injured in the explosion in Miragoane, some with burns all over their bodies.
Pierre said the death toll had risen from 16 earlier in the day as rescuers found more charred bodies near the site of the blast.
The injured were taken to Sainte Therese Hospital in the port city of Miragoan, about 60 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Six were subsequently transported to a specialized hospital in Port-au-Prince.
The other 13 people originally scheduled for transfer will remain in Miragoane because more than 80 percent of their bodies are too burned to be transferred.
Interim Prime Minister Garry Connell Prime Minister Pierre said he had called an emergency government meeting to respond to the tragedy.
Haiti I’ve been troubled Years of instability have left the capital virtually taken over by criminal gangs.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a rare visit on Sept. 5, pledging $45 million in aid and stressing the need for elections, which have not been held in Haiti since 2016.
Blinken also expressed concern about the long-term future of the Kenyan-led police force that arrived two months ago and is tasked with stabilizing Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas.