Oil tanker explodes in Sierra Leone; scores feared dead

By CLARENCE ROY-MACAULAY
Associated Press

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Scores of people are feared dead near Sierra Leone’s capital after an oil tanker exploded at a gas station while large crowds had gathered to collect leaking fuel. Officials said the explosion took place early Saturday after a bus struck the tanker in Wellington, a suburb just to the east of Freetown. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed a giant fireball burning in the night sky following the explosion, as some survivors with severe burns cried out in pain. Charred remains of the victims lay strewn at the scene awaiting transport to mortuaries. President Julius Maada Bio was in Scotland attending the United Nations climate talks Saturday. He deplored the “horrendous loss of life.”