It was a major tragedy in Tanzania when a fuel tanker exploded on a busy road, took at least 61 lives and left nearly 70 injured. The incident happened on a road in the city of Morogoro, located around 109 miles from Dar es Salaam. An eyewitness said the vehicle was speeding and tried to avoid hitting a motorcyclist near a bus station. The driver of the fuel tanker apparently lost control causing it to overturn. There were many people at the bus station since it was a central point for travelers who want to Travel to other parts of Tanzania. It is also, where local motorbike taxis are a common mode of transport.

Obviously, the area was crowded.

CNN reports that someone noticed the fuel leaking from the truck. That message spread and the locals tried to take advantage of the situation by collecting the fuel in containers. Suddenly there was the explosion accompanied by fire. On a rough estimate, there were more than 150 people at the scene when the inferno broke out a few minutes after the accident.

Recipe for disaster

The explosion took place in Morogoro at around 8:30 a.m. local time and the authorities completed the rescue operations by 3 p.m.

local time. A witness said - "We just heard an explosion and then the motorbikes were falling all over the place, we were running around." There was chaos with people tripping over others is a desperate bid to escape from the scene. Motorbikes were scattered all over the place.

CNN adds that many of those who lost their lives probably paid the price of collecting the fuel from the truck.

They should have realized that it was a dangerous act since fuel is a highly inflammable substance and a tiny spark could lead to a fire. The dead bodies were shifted to the local hospital for identification. Incidentally, the road on which the tragedy occurred connect Morogoro with Dar es Salaam. This is the most populous city of Tanzania and was once the capital.

The road is always busy because it connects other locations and is used for transporting imports and exports to and from coastal regions.

Such accidents are not new to Africa

According to BBC, the death toll in fuel tanker explosion in Tanzania is at least 60 with another 70 injured. The figures could rise because many of the injured have suffered serious burns. An official of the local police said the majority of the dead were motorbike taxi drivers. Disasters of this nature have happened in other parts of africa. Last month it was in Nigeria. The toll was 45 when a crashed fuel tanker exploded in the state of Benue. Earlier in May, there was a similar tragedy near the airport of Niger's capital Niamey.

It killed nearly 80 people. There have also been instances of hundreds of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. In order to prevent these tragedies, the authorities must raise the awareness level of the people about the dangers associated with substances like petrol.
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