Tanker truck fuel blast kills 58 in Niger

NIAMEY: Fifty-eight people died in Niger's capital Niamey after an overturned tanker truck exploded as crowds collected spilt fuel, authorities and witnesses said Monday.The blast on the RN1 route near the international airport Sunday night left the burnt truck's wreckage, motorbikes and debris scattered over the road. Nearby houses were damaged by fire. The explosion left 58 dead, the presidency said in a statement. "Motorbike riders and people were all around the truck when it exploded all of a sudden," a local trader said. "I saw at least 40 dead." Witnesses said people were trying to collect petrol leaking from the truck, which had overturned on railway tracks, when the explosion happened. "Just before midnight I went out and I saw the truck overturned. People came from everywhere to take gas, then I saw fire on its side and everything burst into flames," a college student told .

from The News International - World http://bit.ly/2DUiHzZ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Armenian PM announces clean-up of judiciary

YEREVAN: Armenian premier Nikol Pashinyan on Monday announced sweeping judiciary reforms as protesters blockaded court buildings in Yerevan, heeding his call for a demonstration against judges he accuses of political bias."Courts are remnants of the former corrupt authorities. People have no trust in the judiciary and therefore it lacks legitimacy," Pashinyan told a televised cabinet meeting. "The time has come for a surgical intervention" with all judges subjected to a thorough vetting during a "transitional" period, he said.He said judges who "believe they cannot be just" and those whose rulings were found unfair by the European Court of Human Rights should resign. "If necessary, we will adopt constitutional amendments. All this will be done in conformity with international law," he said, asking for support from Western partners.Pashinyan’s appeal for mass demonstrations followed a court ruling to release from pre-trial detention form...
Read more