Haiti: At least 16 dead in fuel tanker explosion

Port-au-Prince.- At least 16 people were killed and forty others injured on Saturday in southwestern Haiti during the explosion of a tanker truck that was leaking fuel after crashing, the head of Civil Protection for the Nippes region, Fidel Nicolas, told AFP.

According to witnesses, the explosion occurred when the victims were about to collect fuel from the tanker truck after it crashed in the district of Miragoâne.

The injured were taken to the Sainte Thérèse hospital in Miragoâne, about 100 kilometers from Port-au-Prince.

Interim Prime Minister Garry Conille called an emergency meeting due to the tragedy, and the national head of Civil Protection, Emmanuel Pierre, told AFP.

The official added that the injured person in serious condition would be transferred to other hospitals.