Oil tanker explodes in Sierra Leone, killing at least 92
Freetown (Sierra Leone)(AP): An oil tanker exploded near Sierra Leone's capital, killing at least 92 people and severely injuring dozens of others after large crowds gathered to collect leaking fuel, officials and witnesses said Saturday.
The explosion took place late 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.
Injured people whose clothes had burned off in the fire that followed the explosion lay naked on stretchers as nurses attended to them Saturday.
Video obtained by The Associated Press of the explosion's aftermath showed a giant fireball burning in the night sky as some survivors with severe burns cried out in pain. Charred remains of the victims lay strewn at the scene awaiting transport to mortuaries.
President Julius Maada Bio, who was in Scotland attending the United Nations climate talks Saturday, 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.
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Election results prove Modi best for national security: R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka said the election results show that Narendra Modi is the most suitable leader for the country’s security.
Speaking to the media, he claimed that the political future of Mamata Banerjee and her government has come to an end. He alleged that around two crore people from Bangladesh were helped to enter the country with Aadhaar cards.
Ashoka said that even though elections were held in five states, the entire country’s attention was on West Bengal. He attributed this to what he described as misgovernance in the state.
He further said there were continuous political allegations and objections related to CBI matters, and added that such developments have now come to an end with the latest election outcome.
