Scores ‘burned alive’ in fuel truck explosion in Haiti

At least 60 people have died and more than 100 injured when a gas tanker exploded in the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien.

The local deputy mayor said the explosion happened on Tuesday morning, setting "about 20" houses in the area ablaze.

"We have now counted 60 deaths," Deputy Mayor Patrick Almonor said, adding that authorities were still searching for additional victims amid the charred debris in Cap-Haitien.

Almonor earlier described a horrific scene at the blast site, saying he had seen more than 50 people "burned alive" and that it was "impossible to identify them."

He said he expects the number of deaths to keep rising because people who died in their homes have not yet been counted.

According to Almonor, it appeared the truck driver lost control as it swerved to avoid a motorcycle taxi and the tanker flipped over.

Almonor said fuel spilled onto the road and pedestrians rushed to collect the tanker's gas, which is currently in short supply as Haiti grapples with a severe fuel shortage caused by the tightening grip of criminal gangs on the capital Port-au-Prince.

No further details were immediately available. Police didn’t immediately return calls requesting information.

National mourning

Nearby Justinien University Hospital was overwhelmed with patients as the injured were transported to the facility.

"We don't have the ability to treat the number of seriously burned people," a nurse told AFP. 

"I'm afraid we won't be able to save them all," she said.

Dave Larose, a civil engineer who works in Cap-Haitien, told The Associated Press that he was driving when he saw ambulances and a crowd of people gathered along a road around 0600 GMT (1 AM local).

Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was "devastated" by the news, and decreed three days of national mourning throughout the territory.

"The entire Haitian nation is grieving,” he tweeted, adding his administration was deploying field hospitals to the area to help those affected.

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