Freetown fuel tanker explosion

On 5 November 2021, a fuel tanker crashed with another truck in Freetown, Sierra Leone. This caused an explosion that killed at least 144 people.[1] It also injured over 100 people.[2]

Reports state that a bus full of people were "completely" burnt and nearby shops and markets caught fire after fuel spilled over the streets.[3]

The crash provided a major challenge for Freetown's health service already creaking from years of underfunding. The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic gutted the country's ranks of medical staff, 250 of whom died, and the system has not recovered.

References

  1. "Sierra Leone explosion: Many feared dead after oil tanker collision" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2021-11-06. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59188753. Retrieved 2021-11-06. 
  2. CNN, Teele Rebane and Yong Xiong. "At least 84 killed in Sierra Leone fuel tanker explosion". CNN. Retrieved 2021-11-06. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. "Fuel tanker blast in Sierra Leone capital causes deaths, injuries". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-11-06.