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At Least 62 Dead After Fuel Tanker Explodes In Tanzania

A damaged tanker truck exploded in Tanzania on Saturday as people were trying to siphon fuel out of it, killing at least 62.
AP
A damaged tanker truck exploded in Tanzania on Saturday as people were trying to siphon fuel out of it, killing at least 62.

A fuel tanker in Tanzania exploded on Saturday, killing at least 62 people and injuring 70 more, .

The tanker truck flipped over in Morogoro, roughly 115 miles from the economic hub of Dar es Salaam. shows a large crowd gathered around the damaged tanker, collecting spilled fuel in yellow jerrycans.

on social media, a police officer is seen helping a man from the flames as the sounds of another explosion can be heard in the background. Photos from after the accident show piles of charred motorbikes and burned bodies.

A regional commissioner told the local Azam TV that many people suffered severe burns, .

Accidents like these are are not uncommon across the continent, NPR's East Africa correspondent reported.

A similar incident last month left more than . In 2016, when a truck carrying fuel exploded in Mozambique. In 2010, in Democratic Republic of Congo when a fuel tanker overturned.

"Fuel tankers have an accident and people looking for a little bit of money try to scoop up whatever fuel they can salvage," Peralta said.

"There is limited awareness about the danger of explosions of damaged fuel tankers" Henry Bantu, a road safety expert who runs the Tanzania-based Safe Speed Foundation,.

"Local leaders need to do more to educate people on the risks," he said.

Tanzanian President John Magufuli sent his condolences to the families of those who died in the accident.

The Tanzanian news outlet that the president also expressed his sadness over the tendency of some people to "scramble for properties" when motor accidents occur.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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