Haiti Confirms 24 Dead in ‘Horrible’ Gas Truck Explosion, Reports Reuters

By Harold Isaac and Steven Aristil

PORT-AU-PRINCE – A fuel truck explosion on a road in Haiti’s southern peninsula on Saturday resulted in 24 fatalities, with half of the 40 injured survivors suffering from third-degree burns, according to government reports.

Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the explosion site, located near the coastal city of Miragoane in the Nippes department. He mentioned that some of the critically injured individuals were transported by helicopter for specialized medical treatment.

Efforts were made to send ambulances as swiftly as possible to assist other victims with severe burns and to alleviate the overcrowding in local hospitals.

“It’s a horrific scene that we have just witnessed. Many victims are severely wounded and burned,” Conille stated in a government-released video.

Most of the injured were men, along with three women and a child, as reported by Haiti’s emergency services, which did not disclose the names of the deceased. Additionally, 15 others sustained second-degree burns.

A witness described the incident, stating that the truck’s gas tank was punctured by another vehicle, prompting many people to rush to the scene to collect the spilled fuel. “There were many people there. Those who were close to the truck were severely impacted,” the witness said in a video interview with a local media outlet.

A similar tragedy occurred in 2021 in Cap-Haitien, where at least 60 people lost their lives when individuals attempted to retrieve fuel from a tanker truck.

In recent weeks, fuel deliveries to the Miragoane area have decreased as trucks have been transported by ferry to avoid gang-controlled highways surrounding Port-au-Prince.

The proliferation of gangs in the capital and surrounding regions has led to a humanitarian crisis characterized by mass displacements, sexual violence, child recruitment, and widespread hunger. A nationwide state of emergency is currently in effect.

Haiti’s civil protection agency reported the cases of a 31-year-old man and two 23-year-old men who suffered burns over 89% of their bodies and are receiving treatment in a hospital in Les Cayes, located in southern Haiti.