An explosion occurred close to Miragoone within the Nips area of southern Haiti, and the injured have been taken to hospital, officers stated.
Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Garry Cornier stated {that a} tanker truck leaking gasoline exploded in southern Haiti, killing greater than 15 folks and injuring about 40 others.
Conier stated in a social media put up that he had spoken with authorities within the Nips space the place Saturday’s explosion occurred. Civil protection personnel and different officers have been mobilized.
“The federal government stands with all victims and their households and is planning evacuation by helicopter,” Cornier wrote.
Witnesses advised AFP the victims have been attempting to retrieve gasoline that leaked from the truck when the explosion occurred.
The injured have been taken to Santa Teresa Hospital in Miragoana, a port metropolis about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince.
The pinnacle of the nationwide civil safety company, Emmanuel Pierre, advised AFP that victims in severe situation can be despatched to different regional hospitals for remedy.
This isn’t the primary deadly tanker explosion in Haiti in recent times.
In 2021, dozens of individuals have been killed within the northern metropolis of Cap-Haitien when a truck derailed whereas attempting to keep away from a bike.
The Caribbean nation additionally faces periodic gasoline shortages, an issue exacerbated by a surge in gang violence in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere.