DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — A police official in Tanzania says at least 57 people have been burned to death after a fuel tanker exploded in the eastern town of Morogoro.

Regional police commissioner Steven Kabwe told the local Azam TV that 57 bodies have been recovered. He said many others who suffered burns are being treated.

Witnesses in Morogoro, which lies about 120 miles (200 kilometers) from Tanzania’s economic hub of Dar es Salaam, told The Associated Press that scores of people had gathered around the fuel tanker after it was involved in an accident early Saturday. They said people were trying to siphon away fuel when the tanker burst into flames.

Incidents of people being killed explosions while stealing fuel from damaged fuel tankers are common in East Africa. </s> At least 60 people were killed on Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded in eastern Tanzania, an official said.

The tanker toppled over in an accident in the town of Morogoro, about 180 kilometers west of the major commercial port of Dar es Salaam. People were trying to siphon petrol from the damaged tanker when it exploded, witness Kiondo Mshana said.

Most of the victims were taken to hospital in Morogoro, although some bodies were still at the accident site, local health official Rita Lyamuya said.

In Tanzania and many other African countries, deadly traffic accidents are a frequent occurrence due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles.

In May, at least 58 people died in Niger when a tanker exploded. Last month, a similar accident occurred in Nigeria, with around 50 dead. </s> Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-12 23:52:38|Editor: yan

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DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the fuel tanker explosion in Tanzania's eastern region of Morogoro has reached 75, an official from the east African nation's leading medical facility said on Monday.

Sixty people died on the spot and 70 others were seriously injured when the fuel tanker exploded after it had overturned on Saturday morning.

Aminiel Aligaesha, the Muhimbili National Hospital head of communications, said the latest deaths were among 43 survivors who were transferred to the facility for specialized treatment.

"We have lost another four victims of the explosion who were receiving treatment at the hospital. We are now remained with 39 survivors," he said.

On Sunday most of the victims were buried in a mass grave in Morogoro region after their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.

Most of the dead were reportedly trying to collect leaking petrol from the overturned fuel tanker before it exploded and caused huge flames.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced the formation of a special team to investigate into the fuel tanker explosion. </s> DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — At least 62 people were killed and 70 others injured in Tanzania on Saturday when a crashed tanker exploded while a crowd was trying to siphon off fuel, the police said, in one of the worst accidents of its kind in the East African country.

The state broadcaster TBC Taifa said the explosion occurred in Morogoro, about 120 miles west of the capital and the nation’s economic hub, Dar es Salaam.

“We have been saddened by reports of an accident involving a fuel truck in Morogoro, which caught fire and burned several people,” a government spokesman, Hassan Abbasi, said on Twitter, according to Reuters.

Witnesses in Morogoro told The Associated Press that scores of people had gathered around the fuel tanker after it was involved in an accident early on Saturday. They said people were trying to take fuel when the tanker burst into flames. </s> At least 57 people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded in Tanzania on Saturday, AFP reported. The explosion occurred when the vehicle overturned near the town of Morogoro, a settlement around 200 km west of the capital Dar es Salaam.

“There was a huge blast which has so far killed at least 57 people,” Regional Police Chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters.

The police said many of those killed and injured were taxi drivers and those who had been siphoning petrol from the tanker when it burst into flames.

“The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude,” Morogoro Governor Stephen Kebwe was quoted as saying by AFP. He said the tanker truck overturned on the roadside and the “fuel began to flow freely”.

“We have mobilised all the doctors at the Morogoro regional hospital so the wounded can be treated,” the governor added.

“The situation is really bad,” Daniel Ngogo, an eye witness, told Reuters. “Many people died, here even those who were not stealing fuel because this is a busy place.” He said the fire was huge and it was a challenge to rescue other victims.

The road connecting Morogoro with Dar es Salaam is on a major route for transporting cargo and fuel from the port, which is the country’s commercial capital.

Last month, at least 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a petrol tanker crashed and exploded as people gathered fuel.

Nearly 80 people died in May in a similar incident near the airport of Niger’s capital Niamey. </s> MOROGORO, Tanzania: At least 60 people perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel.



The deadly blast, which took place near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.

Morogoro governor Stephen Kebwe said the bodies of 60 victims were at the morgue of the local hospital, where more than 70 people were also being treated for injuries.

He warned that the toll could rise with victims possibly trapped under the truck.

Regional police chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters there was a "huge explosion" after the vehicle overturned.

Witnesses told AFP by telephone they could see charred remains of motorcycle taxis and trees scorched by the power of the explosion.

Mtafungwa said the dead were mainly drivers of the taxis known as "boda-boda" and local residents flocking to the scene for the fuel after the crash.

A video posted on social media showed dozens of people busy trying to recover fuel in yellow jerricans. </s> At least 60 people have died in an oil tanker explosion in Tanzania, local authorities said.

The vehicle overturned on the road in Morogoro, 175 kilometers west of Dar es Salaam, according to Kebwe Stephene, the regional commissioner of Morogoro.

The wrecked tanker attracted a large crowd of people trying to collect fuel, Stephene said. When it exploded, many were caught in the blast.

Stephene told journalists that more people were injured at the scene of the accident and that the death toll could rise.

The road connecting Morogoro with Dar es Salaam, the country's most populous city and former capital, is one of Tanzania's key throughways, used to transport imports and exports to and from the coast. </s> At least 60 perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel

Morogoro, Tanzania, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 10th Aug, 2019 ) :At least 60 perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel.

The deadly blast, which took place near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.

Morogoro Governor Stephen Kebwe said the bodies of 60 victims were at the morgue of the local hospital, where more than 70 people were also being treated for injuries.

He warned that the toll could rise with victims possibly trapped under the truck.

Regional police chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters there was a "huge explosion" after the vehicle overturned.

Witnesses told AFP by telephone they could see charred remains of motorcycle taxis and trees scorched by the power of the explosion.

Mtafungwa said the dead were mainly drivers of the taxis known as "boda-boda" and local residents flocking to the scene for the fuel after the crash.

A video posted on social media showed dozens of people busy trying to recover fuel in yellow jerricans.

- 'Never seen a disaster of such magnitude' - The governor said the explosion was triggered when a man tried to pull out the truck's battery, while witnesses said one of the people looting the fuel was smoking a cigarette.

Police later announced the blaze had been brought under control.

"The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude," Kebwe told reporters at the scene in the locality of Msamvu, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Dar es Salaam.

He said the tanker truck overturned on the roadside and the "fuel began to flow freely".

"We have mobilised all the doctors at the Morogoro regional hospital so the wounded can be treated," he added.

Such disasters are not uncommon in Africa.

Last month, at least 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured in central Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed and then exploded as people were trying to gather fuel.

In May, a similar incident occurred in Niger just a short distance from the airport in the capital Niamey, leaving almost 80 people dead.

Among the deadliest such disasters, 292 people lost their lives in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2010, and in September 2015 at least 203 people perished in the town of Maridi in South Sudan. </s> Sixty people died while 70 were seriously injured in Morogoro town, Tanzania, on Saturday morning when a fuel tanker burst into flames.

Reports indicated that the victims included motorcyclists who rushed to the scene in Msamvu to collect leaking fuel after the vehicle overturned.

Some witnesses said one of the people who went to scramble for the fuel had been smoking a cigarette.

“This has never happened in Morogoro town. The fuel spilled about 100 metres along the road,” Morogoro Regional Commissioner Steven Kwebwe said at the scene.

They took the bodies to the mortuary at Morogoro Regional Hospital.

Tanker fires have become a common feature on the continent as the poor jostle to scoop free fuel.

It was said that the incident that left at least 113 people dead and more than 200 injured resulted from a lit cigarette or a spark that lit up the spilled fuel.

Several fire incidents have occurred in Kenya, where petroleum products are still transported by road, but with a smaller number of casualties.

In January, a fuel truck driver died after his lorry burst into flames in Narok, on collision with on-coming cars.

In June 2018, an oil tanker exploded in Lagos during rush hour killing at least nine people and injuring at least five.

In January, another oil tanker overturned and exploded in the Nigerian city, killing many of the dozens of people who had been collecting leaking fuel.

In 2008, a bulldozer rammed an oil tanker leading to an explosion that killed more than 100 people in Lagos.

A year earlier, at least 45 people were killed in the same city in an explosion as they siphoned fuel from an underground pipe.
At least 75 people have been killed and 60 injured in a fuel tanker explosion in Morogoro, Tanzania.