Fuel tanker inferno leaves at least 40 dead (VIDEO)

More than 40 people have been killed and many houses destroyed after a truck carrying fuel overturned in Cap Haitien, Haiti. There was an attempt to siphon fuel from the stricken tanker, at which point it exploded.

On Tuesday, authorities in Haiti said that at least 40 bodies had been found and many more people had been injured in a horrifying incident in the port city of Cap Haitien. The incident happened around midnight local time.  

According to the country’s RHI News, the city’s deputy interim executive officer, Patrick Almonor, said the explosion occurred when a fuel tanker unsuccessfully attempted to avoid a biker in the Samaria area of Cap Haitien, a working-class neighborhood.

He said that the truck overturned during the maneuver, prompting many in the poor neighborhood to try and siphon gasoline from the stricken vehicle. At this point the tanker exploded, Almonor said, citing witnesses. 

He added that the authorities had counted at least 40 corpses. There are many injured and some are in a serious condition. He said many were rushed to Justinian University Hospital, stressing that the facility was under equipped to deal with the disaster. 

Doctors at the hospital told local media they were overwhelmed and that many patients were being accommodated in the courtyard due to a lack of space. 

Almonor said that as many as 40 homes had been burned in the fire that followed the explosion.