The explosion occurred in the morning when, after the tanker overturned, bystanders rushed to pick up fuel leaking onto the road, Libyan media reported.
At least six people died and around 70 were injured when a tanker carrying fuel exploded near the southern Libyan city of Shaba, the African country’s health ministry said today.
The explosion occurred in the morning when, after the tanker overturned, bystanders rushed to pick up fuel leaking onto the road, Libyan media reported.
Helicopters were sent to the scene of the tragedy to transport burn victims to hospitals in Tripoli, the Ministry of Health said in a statement, noting that the assistance of surgeons from Tunisia had been requested.
Libya has faced significant fuel shortages since 2014 when the country was plunged into civil war following the uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. In many of the country’s cities, citizens have to wait in long lines, some sometimes for hours in order to refuel their vehicles.
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