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Cameroon: 10 killed as fuel tanker explodes in northern Cameroon
Sat. August 30, 2008 04:19 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. -
(SomaliNet) At least 10 people died and several others severely burnt when a tanker truck carrying fuel overturned and exploded in northern Cameroon, police said on Friday.
Nigeria’s state radio quoted police officers as saying the tanker, which was transporting fuel from Nigeria to Chad, overturned and burst into flames late on Thursday at Limani, close to the Nigerian border.
Media reports say many of the victims were local people who approached the overturned vehicle to collect leaking fuel which then caught fire, a phenomenon which often causes death and injuries in West Africa.
"What is certain is that many people have died ... not less than 10, and about 20 others who sustained first and second degree burns were rushed to hospitals in Mora and Maroua for medical care," one police officer said.
He added the death toll was likely to rise.
In 1998, around 200 people were killed when a train carrying fuel crashed near the capital Yaounde, attracting many nearby residents who were caught by fire as they tried to salvage the fuel.-Reuters
News Category: Africa
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