EQUATORIA: The death toll from an oil tanker explosion in Western Equatoria state, South Sudan, this week has risen to 182, according to a regional official.
The blast occurred in the town of Maridi as crowds gathered around the vehicle to siphon oil after it veered off the road. An official had previously warned the death toll could continue to rise as the country did not have adequate facilities to treat the burns.
“We are on the ground evacuating some serious cases to a safe location for medical attention,” Wilson Thomas Yanga, Maridi county commissioner, said.
Such incidents have happened before in the east African region where oil tankers often have to travel long distances along potholed roads and pass through poor communities.
