Haiti gas truck blast deaths reach 75
SMA NEWS – PORT AU PRINCE
Fears grew on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) the death toll from a massive gas truck explosion in Haiti would climb as officials scrambled to provide care for dozens suffering burn injuries sustained in the accident.
One day after the blast in Haiti’s second-largest city of Cap-Haitien, 75 people were confirmed dead in the latest disaster to hit the poverty-wracked Caribbean nation, riven by gang violence and political paralysis.
As of Wednesday evening, there were 59 people still being treated for burn injuries, most of them severe, civil protection director Jerry Chandler told Agence France-Presse.
“We are currently doubling down on efforts to re-enforce our local health infrastructure,” he said, adding that a field hospital at a local gym was almost ready.
Chandler said the facility is expected to operate for the next seven to 10 days, supported by materials from the World Health Organization and personnel deployed by the country’s health ministry.
The death toll had increased throughout the day Wednesday, as the injured succumbed to burns that in some cases covered large portions of their bodies.
Patrick Almonor, deputy mayor of Cap-Haitien, described the horrific scene on Tuesday, saying he had seen dozens of people “burned alive” and that it was “impossible to identify them.”
Homes nearby also suffered serious damage after being set ablaze in the explosion.
