The number of people killed in Haiti after a tanker truck exploded rises to 26

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- The number of people killed after a tanker truck carrying gasoline exploded in southern Haiti over the weekend has risen to 26, officials said.

At least 40 others were injured, and six of them have been transferred to the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to a report published Sunday in Le Nouvelliste newspaper, which quoted civil protection officials. Authorities planned to transfer another 12 victims with severe burns, the report said.

Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency didn't immediately return a message seeking comment on Monday.

The explosion occurred Saturday in the southern coastal city of Miragoane after the truck flipped over.

In 2021, 75 people were killed in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, when another fuel truck overturned and unleashed a fireball that swept through several homes and businesses. Some of those killed were onlookers who had rushed to the truck to try and scoop up fuel.