Oil tanker explodes in Sierra Leone; scores feared dead

PTI, Nov 6, 2021, 3:39 PM IST

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Freetown: Scores of people were feared dead near Sierra Leone’s capital after an oil tanker exploded at a gas station while large crowds had gathered to collect the leaking fuel, officials and witnesses said.

The explosion took place early Saturday after a bus struck the tanker in Wellington, a suburb just to the east of Freetown. President Julius Maada Bio, who was in Scotland attending the United Nations climate talks Saturday, deplored the “horrendous loss of life.”

“My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result,” he tweeted.

Deeply disturbed by the tragic fires and the horrendous loss of life around the Wellington PMB area. My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result. My Government will do everything to support affected families. pic.twitter.com/xJRA1UtCJJ

— President Julius Maada Bio (@PresidentBio) November 6, 2021