Twenty-four people have been killed in Haiti after a fuel tanker exploded, according to local authorities.
Dozens of other people have been seriously injured – some with burns over 80% of their bodies, according to Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille.
The incident happened on Saturday near the community of Miragoane, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince.
According to media reports, the tanker collided with another vehicle and started leaking fuel on the road. The explosion occurred as people rushed to collect the spilled fuel.
“It’s a horrible scene we’ve just seen,” Mr Connell said on the tarmac at Port-au-Prince airport, where some of the injured were arriving.
He vowed to do everything in his power to make sure the victims got the medical attention they needed.
Emmanuel Pierre, head of Haiti’s civil protection agency, told the AFP news agency that the initial death toll of 16 was later revised when more bodies were found near the blast site.
It is not the first time that there have been multiple deaths in Haiti from an explosion on a tanker.
More than 60 people died after a similar incident in 2021.
Haiti is going through a period of intense violence and instability as the government battles violent gangs that have taken control of parts of the country.
Earlier this month, the Haitian authorities extended the state of emergency .
