60 killed in Tanzania oil tanker explosion

At least 60 people were killed and 70 others wounded in an oil tanker explosion in the Tanzanian town of Morogoro on Saturday, the police said.

Many of the people who were killed had gathered around the truck to get fuel, Morogoro Regional Police Commander Wilbroad Mutafungwa was cited as saying by the local media.

The casualties also included street vendors and motorcycle riders who happened to pass by the area, reports said.

Most of the corpses were carbonized, which made their identification difficult, Efe news reported citing the local media.

The accident took place near Morogoro's Msamvu Main bus terminal on a road that is usually used by trucks with cargos and transporting oil from the port area of Dar es Salaam.

Eyewitnesses suggested that a man holding a cigarette while approaching the fuel tanker may have caused the blast, although the police were yet to reveal the cause behind the explosion.

This kind of accident is common in certain areas of Africa, where some people put their lives in danger to get fuel from tankers.

On July 2, more than 50 people were killed and another 70 were wounded in Nigerian state of Benue in an oil tanker explosion. IANS