A tanker truck exploded Saturday in southwestern Haiti, killing 24 people, authorities said, as witnesses reported the victims had tried to collect fuel leaking from the vehicle.
The explosion in Miragoane injured about 40 people, with some burns on most of their bodies, Emmanuel Pierre, head of Haiti’s civil protection authority, told AFP.
The death toll rose from 16 earlier in the day, after rescue workers discovered more charred bodies near the blast site, Pierre said.
The injured were transported to the Sainte Therese hospital in the port city of Miragoane, about 60 kilometers west of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Six were later evacuated to specialist hospitals in Port-au-Prince.
Thirteen others originally scheduled to be moved will remain in Miragoane as burns over 80% of their bodies made transport impossible.
Interim Prime Minister Garry Conille called an emergency cabinet meeting to deal with the tragedy, Pierre said.
Haiti has been tormented of instability for years and its capital has practically been taken over by criminal gangs.
Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken made a rare visit on September 5, when he pledged $45 million in aid and stressed the need for elections, which have not taken place in Haiti since 2016.
Blinken also expressed concern about the long-term future of a Kenya-led police force, which arrived two months ago and has been tasked with stabilizing Port-au-Prince and beyond.