More than 60 people were confirmed dead and several others injured after a fuel tanker exploded in the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien on Tuesday.
Reports said the explosion occurred when residents of the rural community were scooping fuel from the tanker which spilled its content after an accident in the area.
“We have now counted 60 deaths,” said Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor, adding that authorities were still searching for victims amid the charred debris.
According to Almonor, it appeared the truck driver lost control as it swerved to avoid a motorcycle taxi and the tanker flipped over. He said fuel spilled onto the road and pedestrians rushed to collect it.
More than 100 people were reported injured in the explosion that also burned about 20 homes near the site, Almonor said, adding that the number of deaths is expected to keep rising because people who died in their homes have not yet been counted.
The Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, who addressed the nation later in the day, said the entire Caribbean nation was grieving after the accident.
He had since declared three days of mourning in the country.
He said: “I learnt, with desolation and emotion, the sad news of the explosion last night in Cap-Haïtien.”
Medical officials said local hospitals had been overwhelmed by those injured in the blast with many expecting the death toll to rise in the coming days.
