Freetown fuel tanker explosion
| Date | 5 November 2021 |
|---|---|
| Time | c. 22:00 GMT (UTC±0) |
| Location | Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Coordinates | 8°26′31″N 13°09′40″W / 8.44194°N 13.16111°W |
| Type | Fuel tanker explosion |
| Cause | Collision between a fuel tanker and a lorry |
| Deaths | 99+ |
| Non-fatal injuries | 100+ |
On 5 November 2021 a collision between a petrol fuel tanker and a lorry at a busy junction of Sierra Leone's capital and largest city, Freetown, resulted in an explosion and fire that killed at least 99 people, and injured more than 100, overwhelming the city's medical services. Although Freetown has experienced similar disasters like this in recent years, such an event has been described as first of its kind in the densely populated city of about 1.2 million.[1][2] This accident followed a number of similar high-casualty fuel tanker explosions across sub-Saharan Africa.[3]
Background
Freetown is a port city which is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, with a population of more than 1.2 million people.[2] The accident happened at a busy intersection in the Wellington area, Freetown's main industrial district. The intersection where the accident happened is popularly known as "PMB", short for Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Board (SLPMB), a defunct parastatal with its old factory buildings located adjacent the intersection.[citation needed]
Explosion
At approximately 22:00 GMT on 5 November 2021, a fuel tanker and an open lorry carrying heavy metal objects, collided at a junction outside Choithram Supermarket in the Freetown suburb of Wellington. One of the metal objects in the lorry is said to had struck the tanker during the collision, thereby creating a fuel leakage.[2][4] Petrol spilling from the tanker resulted in locals around rushing to collect the petrol, particularly the "Okada" (motorbike) taxi-riders. An explosion led to a huge fire ball that engulfed vehicles, people and passengers that were stuck in traffic created by the initial collision, and as people were rushing to collect the fuel spilling from the tanker.[5]
The mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, said that the accident was exacerbated by people congregating to collect the fuel leaking from the oil tanker.[6] Mass casualties as a result of people collecting fuel have occurred in other countries within sub-Saharan Africa, including the 2018 Mbuba tanker explosion in the Democratic Republic of Congo that killed 50, and the 2019 Morogoro explosion in Tanzania that killed 85.[7][8]
Many of the victims were trapped in their own vehicles[2][6] including a bus full of people which was intensely burnt, killing all inside. Nearby shops and markets caught fire after fuel spilled onto the streets.[6] Footage broadcast by local media outlets showed charred bodies surrounding the tanker.[2] At least 99 people were confirmed to have died in the disaster, and more than 100 others were injured.[7]
Aftermath
Mohamed Lamrane Bah, the director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), stated that the injured had been transferred to hospitals and the bodies were collected. He added that rescue efforts at the scene had ended. Several people are in critical condition.[1] According to a staff member of Connaught Hospital's intensive care unit, about 30 severely burned victims are not expected to survive.[9] President Julius Maada Bio, who was attending the United Nations climate talks, offered condolences and promised support to the victims' families.[4][6] Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh visited two hospitals.[4] The journalist Omar Fofana reported that the hospital services have been stretched.[6]
References
- ^ a b Rebane, Teele; Xiong, Yong (6 November 2021). "At least 84 killed in Sierra Leone fuel tanker explosion". CNN. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e "Sierra Leone explosion: Many feared dead after oil tanker collision". BBC News. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Paquette, Danielle (6 November 2021) Fuel tanker explosion kills at least 98 in Sierra Leone. The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "Oil tanker explodes in Sierra Leone; scores feared dead". AP NEWS. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Hayden, Sally (7 November 2021). "'The fire was all over him': Oil tanker explosion devastates lives in Freetown". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e "Fuel tanker blast in Sierra Leone capital causes deaths, injuries". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ a b Fofana, Umaru (6 November 2021). "Ninety-nine killed in fuel tanker blast in Sierra Leone capital". Reuters.
- ^ Kottasová, Ivana; Mwanza, Faraji (10 August 2019). "At least 61 people killed in a fuel tanker explosion in Tanzania". CNN. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Oil tanker explodes in Sierra Leone, killing at least 98". Retrieved 8 November 2021.
