This image courtesy of the Communication Department of the Cap-Haitien City Hall shows the remains of a gas tanker truck after it exploded in Cap-Hatien, Haiti, December 14, 2021. At least 62 people were killed when a gas tanker truck exploded in the Haitian city of Cap-Haitien on Tuesday morning, a local official said, with overwhelmed medics saying the toll was feared to rise. The blast is the latest disaster to hit the poverty-wracked Caribbean nation, where violent gangs have triggered crippling fuel shortages by choking off supply, and the president’s assassination has yet to be elucidated. (File photo by Handout / Cap-Haitien City Hall / AFP)
Sixteen people were killed in southwestern Haiti on Saturday and about 40 were injured when a tanker truck exploded, said Fidel Nicolas, head of the Civil Protection agency in the Nippes region.
The blast occurred as the victims were trying to retrieve fuel that was leaking from the truck, witnesses told AFP.
The injured were transported to Sainte Therese Hospital in the port city of Miragoane, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Interim Prime Minister Garry Conille called an emergency government meeting to deal with the tragedy, Emmanuel Pierre, national head of the Civil Protection agency told AFP.
Nineteen victims who suffered serious burns will be transferred to specialized hospitals in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, thanks to a flight jointly organized by the Ministry of Public Health and the Doctors Without Borders aid group, Pierre said.
Haiti has been plagued by instability for years and its capital has virtually been taken over by criminal gangs.
Top US diplomat Anthony Blinken made a rare visit on September 5, during which he promised $45 million in aid and stressed the need for elections, which have not taken place in Haiti since 2016.
Blinken also voiced concern about the long-term future of a Kenya-led police force, which arrived two months ago and has been tasked with stabilizing Port-au-Prince and beyond.