Sierra Leone: Fuel tanker explosion kills 91 people in the capital of Freetown

A petrol tanker exploded in the Western African country of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown on Friday, killing at least 91 people, as per CNN. Several people are in serious condition as a result of the explosion, according to Mohamed Lamrane Bah, director of communications for Sierra Leone's National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). Bah stated that authorities have taken injured individuals to hospitals throughout the city and recovered the bodies. He also said that the rescue attempt has now come to a conclusion.

Meanwhile, Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr took to Facebook and posted a message where she said that she was saddened to learn about an explosion at Bai Bureh Road, after a truck carrying fuel collided with another truck. She shared a long post stating that despite the fact that she is unable to be there, the Metropolitan Police and Deputy Mayor are on the ground, assisting the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), which is in charge of the response. She added that the Disaster Response Team of the Freetown City Council, along with Ward Councillor Cllr Arthur Shekie, will meet with NDMA to undertake a needs assessment.

The explosion occurred outside the Choithram Supermarket

At around 10:00 pm on Friday, the explosion occurred outside the Choithram Supermarket in Wellington's eastern suburbs. According to BBC, a fire ripped through a bus carrying a group of people, which also engulfed surrounding shops and market stalls. The chairman of the National Disaster Management Agency in Sierra Leone, Brima Bureh Sesay, told local media that he had never seen anything like this.

Body pieces can still be seen in burnt-out vehicles at the accident scene, according to BBC. The majority of the dead have been taken to Freetown's central mortuary, while the critically injured have been taken to hospitals, according to police. A Vice-President-led emergency meeting is scheduled to begin shortly.

Major calamities in the port city of Freetown

In recent years, the port city of Freetown, which has a population of slightly over a million people, has been struck by several major calamities, according to BBC. In March, a huge fire in one of the city's slums left more than 80 people injured. In 2017, a mudslide raced through the city, killing over 1,000 and displacing 3,000 people.

Image: Facebook/@yakisawyerr