Categories: World

Haiti fuel truck explosion kills 24, leaves dozens severely burned, government says

close Video

Haitian migrants flood small city in Ohio

Fox News’ Christina Coleman reports the latest on the migrant surge from Springfield, Ohio. 

  • A fuel truck explosion in Haiti’s southern peninsula killed 24 people and left half of the 40 injured survivors with third-degree burns.
  • Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the site near Miragoane and arranged helicopter evacuations for the most seriously injured victims.
  • Ambulances were dispatched to assist those with severe burns and alleviate overcrowded local hospitals.

A fuel truck explosion on a road in Haiti’s southern peninsula on Saturday killed 24 people and left half of the 40 injured survivors with third-degree burns, the government said.

Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the site, near the coastal city of Miragoane in the department of Nippes, and said some of the most seriously injured victims were evacuated by helicopter to receive specialized care.

Ambulances were also being sent as quickly as possible to attend to others with severe burns and to relieve overcrowded local hospitals.

HAITIAN REFUGEES ‘DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LAWS,’ FORMER LAWMAKER SAYS AMID FATAL WRECK, CULTURAL CLASHES

“It’s a horrible scene we’ve just lived through. Many dozens of victims, wounded, severely burned,” Conille said in a video distributed by the government.

A Haitian flag is seen in Port-au-Prince. A fuel truck explosion on a road in Haiti’s southern peninsula on Saturday killed 24 people and left half of the 40 injured survivors with third-degree burns, the government said. (STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

The injured were mostly men, as well as three women and a child, according to a report from Haiti’s emergency services, which did not give any details about the identities of the dead.

Another 15 people sustained second-degree burns, the report said.

A witness to the disaster said the truck’s gas tank had been punctured by another vehicle, and people had rushed to the site to collect fuel.

“There were a lot of people. Those who were close to the truck got pulverized,” the man, who did not give his name, said in a video interview with local outlet Echo Haiti Media.

A similar incident in 2021 in the city of Cap-Haitien killed at least 60 people, after people were also thought to have been attempting to take fuel from a tanker truck.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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 with mass displacements, sexual violence, child recruitment and widespread hunger. A state of emergency is now in place nationwide.

Haiti’s civil protection agency reported the identities of a 31-year-old man and two 23-year-old men who suffered burns over 89% of their bodies, and were being treated in a hospital in Les Cayes, in southern Haiti.

Share

Recent Posts

Trump taps Texan Brooke Rollins as agriculture secretary

President-elect Trump tapped Brooke Rollins as his agriculture secretary. In a statement on Saturday, Trump…

19 minutes ago

Philippine vice president makes public assassination threat against country’s president

close Video Rodrigo Duterte: What to know about the controversial Philippines president Learn about what…

4 hours ago

Scientists study ‘very rare’ frozen remains of 35,000-year-old saber-toothed cub

close Video Rare dinosaur skeletons found after catastrophic flooding Paleontologists in Brazil found skeletons of…

4 hours ago

Ric Grenell under consideration to be Trump’s point man on Ukraine: report

Richard "Ric" Grenell, the former acting director of National Intelligence in President-elect Trump's first administration,…

5 hours ago

Cheap Black Friday deals cost to your privacy

It’s the perfect time to pick up holiday gifts for your family and treat yourself…

7 hours ago

US scrambles as drones shape the landscape of war: ‘the future is here’

close Video U.S. Army buys 12,000 drones from Red Cat's Teal Drones U.S. Army beefs…

9 hours ago