60 People Killed as Fuel Tanker Explodes in Tanzania, Most Victims were Siphoning Petrol

At least 60 people have been confirmed dead and more than 60 others wounded after a fuel tanker burst into flames in Tanzania on Saturday morning.

State broadcaster TBC Taifa reported that many of those killed and injured were siphoning petrol from the vehicle which crashed in Morogoro town.

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

The victims included motorcyclists and food vendors who rushed to the scene to collect leaking fuel after the tanker overturned.
Confirming the number of causalities, Morogoro Regional Police Commander Wilbroad Mutafungwa said the incident happened about 200 meters from Msamvu Bus Station in Morogoro town.

In January 2009, more than 100 Kenyans died after a petrol tanker crashed and exploded in Sachang’wan, Nakuru County. Many of the victims were siphoning oil from the tanker before a fire broke out.