The casualty following the explosion of a tanker truck in central Bamako, the Malian capital, has jumped from six to 15, according to a final report made public by the Director General of the University Hospital (CHU), Gabriel Toure, where several victims were evacuated.
By Mohamed Dagnoko
“Unfortunately, it is with sadness and great pain that I tell you that the death toll has been revised upwards because, overall we have around 58 victims today, 15 of whom are dead,” Pr Mounirou Baby told reporters on Wednesday evening.
The explosion occurred when passers-by came to rescue the passengers of a tanker truck containing 14,000 liters of fuel and which inexplicably was lying on its side.
Rescuers just like those they wanted to help were consumed by the flames, according to several witnesses of the tragedy that took place on a major artery in the town of Badaladougou.
Twenty-four hours after the tanker explosion, another vehicle of the same make caught fire about one kilometer from the site of the first blast.
This time firefighters were able to put out the fire.
These two tragedies led the populations to raise their voice and called for the application of the decree signed by the mayor of the district of Bamako on October 20, 2009 and which circumscribes the circulation of large carriers in the capital between midnight and 6 am.
MDS/cat/fss/as/APA