At least 17 dead in tanker accident in southern Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A tanker truck carrying gasoline overturned and exploded in Haiti on Saturday, killing at least 17 people and seriously injuring 30 others, Radio Caraibes reported. Haitian authorities could not be reached for comment.

Haiti's hospitals are ill-equipped to treat victims of severe burns. The country of 12 million people is also struggling with a fuel shortage as fighting between gangs makes it difficult to import goods into the country.

Saturday's accident occurred in Miragoane, a town of 60,000 inhabitants that was hit by a strong earthquake three years ago.

In 2021, 75 people were killed in Haiti's second-largest city, Cap Haitien, when another tanker truck overturned, unleashing a fireball that swept through several closely-built homes and businesses. Some of those killed were bystanders who had rushed to the truck to try to lift some of its load.