At least 92 people are dead after an oil tanker exploded near Sierra Leone, officials confirmed.
The explosion took place late on Friday after a bus struck the tanker in Wellington, a suburb just to the east of Freetown.
The mortuary at Connaught Hospital reported 92 bodies had been brought in by Saturday morning.
About 30 severely burned victims were not expected to survive, according to staff member Foday Musa.
Disturbing images on social media showed victims with burnt clothes on stretchers being tended to by nurses.
Video obtained by The Associated Press showed a giant fireball burning in the night sky following the explosion.
Video received: a fuel tanker exploded in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown last night.
— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) November 6, 2021
CNN reporting that at least 84 people have been killed. pic.twitter.com/2SBvntrarb
President Julius Maada Bio, who is in Scotland attending the COP26 climate summit, deplored the “horrendous loss of life”.
“My profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result,” he tweeted.
Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh visited two hospitals overnight and said Sierra Leone’s National Disaster Management Agency and others would “work tirelessly” in the wake of the emergency.
“We are all deeply saddened by this national tragedy, and it is indeed a difficult time for our country,” he said on his Facebook page.
