Sixty people have been confirmed dead and 70 others seriously injured on Saturday morning after a petroleum tanker burst into flames at Msamvu in Morogoro town, Tanzania.
Confirming the reports, Morogoro Regional Police Commander Wilbroad Mutafungwa noted that those who were killed in the accident were 60.
It is reported that the majority of those who died were motorcyclists who thronged the accident scene to collect leaking fuel as well as food vendors who were near the scene.
Commander Mutafungwa affirmed that most of them were burnt beyond recognition.
According to eyewitnesses, the lorry fuel tanker overturned hence the motorists crowding the area as they collected the leaking fuel.
It is alleged that the fire then burst at the scene after one person went to collect the fuel while smoking a cigarette.
Firefighters fro Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) and Fire Brigade have since been carrying out a rescue operation.
Bodies of those who succumbed have been moved to Morogoro Regional Hospital.
The incident has left most residents in the town in shock with Morogoro Regional Commissioner Dr Steven Kwabwe noting that “this has never happened in Morogoro town.”
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