DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Fuel tanker explosion kills over 230 in Congo.

Record ID: 359366

  • Title: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Fuel tanker explosion kills over 230 in Congo.
  • Date: 4th July 2010
  • Summary: SANGE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (JULY 3, 2010) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS ARRIVING IN U.N. VEHICULES VARIOUS OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS TALKING TO CONGOLESE AUTHORITIES (SOUNDBITE) (French) UNIDENTIFIED CONGOLESE POLICEMAN, SAYING: "He (the tanker) made the wrong move and that's when the vehicle overturned, and the petrol started to flow out until it even reac
  • Embargoed: 19th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA5X9YLOHUJ98Y0WTV0E9B4F2TL
  • Story Text: At least 230 dead, 196 injured after fuel tanker explosion unleashed flames that tore through a village in eastern DRC.
    At least 230 people were killed when a fuel tanker overturned and exploded in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, unleashing a fire ball that tore through homes and cinemas packed with people watching World Cup soccer.
    Officials said on Saturday (July 3) that the explosion which took place late on Friday (July 2) also injured 196 people, adding that the death toll could rise.
    They described scenes of devastation in the town of Sange, where houses were burnt and bodies littered the streets. Some people died while trying to steal fuel leaking from the tanker, but most were killed at home or while watching World Cup soccer in cinemas.
    Many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
    United Nations helicopters began airlifting injured people to hospital, while Congo's army, which lost a number of men in the blast, has sent soldiers in to help with the rescue.
    "He (the tanker) made the wrong move and that's when the vehicle overturned, and the petrol started to flow out until it even reached the cinema, and the innocent people who were watching the match became its victims," said a Congolese policeman talking from the scene in the village of Sange, which is between the towns of Bukavu and Uvira.
    A spokesman for the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) said the latest numbers on Saturday night were of 230 dead and 196 injured. Congo's government also gave the same number of dead.
    Marcellin Cisambo, governor of South Kivu province, where the incident took place, confirmed that the blast occurred when the fuel truck overturned, leaked fuel and then later exploded.
    It was not immediately clear what caused the initial accident or later blast, but local people said the truck, which was part of a convoy, stopped when the road seemed to crumble, toppling the vehicle and spilling fuel. Fire then erupted.
    Roads in the area are notoriously bad after years of war and neglect in the vast central African nation.
    There have been numerous similar accidents across Africa, where crowds gather around fuel tankers involved in crashes, only for the tanker to explode.
    Residents are asking for the Congolese authorities to do more to protect people.
    "We ask the local authorities, even the national authorities, regional authorities to mobilise and come and help us, the people of Sange in general and particularly the people who've lost members of their families," said Pascal Kashemusa, a student at the neighbouring Uvira University.
    Millions of football fans across Africa were watching Ghana, the continent's last team in the World Cup, play Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Friday evening.
    For many, who have no electricity at home, makeshift cinema halls are the only option for watching the football.
    Congo's weak government has difficulty providing even the most basic services, so U.N. peacekeepers began airlifting some of the wounded to nearby hospitals and aid workers were called in to help with medical treatment.
    ICRC said aid workers were trying to identify bodies before they were buried, but many were completely charred.
    A spokesman for Congo's military operation in South Kivu said that 13 soldiers had been injured and another 10 were missing.
    The Kenyan driver of the truck is being held by the police.
    Alain Ilunga, deputy CEO of Congo's storage and distribution company, which is already investigating the incident, said the truck was carrying 49,000 litres of petrol at the time.
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