Death toll from a petrol tanker blast that took place in Mozambique on Thursday has risen to 73 with dozens of people still being treated in hospital for severe burns, an official said on Sunday.
Hundreds of people jostled, using hose pipes and jerry cans, to collect petrol from the tanker which was loaded with 30,000 litres. The oil had spilled around the truck when the blaze erupted.
The tanker exploded in Tete province, a remote western region near the border with Malawi, killing 43 people on the spot, with over 100 badly burnt including children.
“We can inform to you that 73 of our citizens have so far lost their lives as a result of the accident,” Minister of State Administration Carmelita Namashulua told a press conference.
The government launched a commission of inquiry into the cause of the blast while announcing three days of national mourning
Namashulua said many victims had suffered more than 50% burns, which was a “new experience” for the poor southern African country with only basic healthcare facilities, especially in rural areas.
The tanker exploded in Tete province, a remote western region near the border with Malawi, killing 43 people on the spot, with over 100 badly burnt including children.
The truck was said to be carrying fuel from Mozambique’s port city of Beira to landlocked Malawi. The driver is said to have disappeared.
