A gas truck explosion in Haiti’s southern peninsula killed at least 25 people, and left dozens of survivors with serious burns.
Prime Minister Of Haiti Visited The Spot
Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the spot, near the coastal city of Miragoane in the department of Nippes.
He said that some of the most seriously injured victims were evacuated by helicopter to receive medical care.
“This is a horrible scene, what I have just witnessed,” the Haiti PM said in a statement.
Earlier, he said emergency teams were working to “save the lives of the seriously injured.”
Government Support
He pledged government support for the victims and their families.
Media outlet Radio RFM said 25 people died in the gas truck explosion that took place around 7 a.m. local time.
Earlier, authorities in Nippes said 16 bodies were completely charred and unrecognizable, and 40 persons were admitted to the local hospital with burns.
The government released images showing medical staff helping a man whose legs and head were swathed in white bandages.
Truck’s Gas Tank Punctured
A witness to the incident said the truck’s gas tank had been punctured by another vehicle, and people rushed to the site to collect fuel.
“There were a lot of people. Those who were close to the truck got pulverized,” the eye-witness said in a video interview with Echo Haiti Media.
He said that it was difficult to say how many people might have been killed in the blast.
Fuel deliveries to the Miragoane area have slowed in recent weeks as trucks were transported via ferry to avoid gang-controlled highways surrounding the capital of Port-au-Prince.
The spread of gangs in the capital and surrounding areas has fueled a humanitarian crisis.
The crisis has caused to mass displacements, sexual violence, child recruitment and widespread hunger.
Emergency
A state of emergency is now in place nationwide.
Burn Injuries
Haiti’s civil protection agency reported the identities of a 31-year-old man and two 23-year-old men who suffered over 89 per cent burn injuries.
They were treated in a hospital in Les Cayes, in southern Haiti.
Two of them sustained second-degree burns, the agency said.
Similar Incident In 2021
A similar incident in 2021 in the city of Cap-Haitien killed at least 60 people.
