A fuel truck explosion in Haiti results in the deaths of 24 individuals and leaves many others with severe burns, according to the government.

• In Haiti's southern peninsula, a fuel truck explosion resulted in the death of 24 individuals and left half of the 40 injured survivors with severe burns.
• The Prime Minister arranged helicopter evacuations for the most seriously injured victims at the site near Miragoane.
• Local hospitals were overwhelmed with severe burn cases, prompting the dispatch of ambulances to provide relief.

On Saturday, a fuel truck explosion in Haiti's southern peninsula resulted in the death of 24 individuals and left half of the 40 injured survivors with severe burns, according to the government.

In the department of Nippes, near the coastal city of Miragoane, Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille visited the site and stated that the most seriously injured victims were airlifted by helicopter for specialized care.

Local hospitals were becoming overwhelmed with severe burn cases, prompting the rapid dispatch of ambulances to attend to them.

The video distributed by the government featured Conille describing the aftermath of the incident as a "horrible scene" with "many dozens of victims, wounded, severely burned."

According to a report from Haiti's emergency services, the injured were mostly men, along with three women and a child. No details about the identities of the dead were provided.

Another 15 people sustained second-degree burns, the report said.

Another vehicle had punctured the gas tank of the truck, causing a disaster. People rushed to the site to collect fuel.

According to a man who spoke anonymously in a video interview with Echo Haiti Media, a large number of individuals were near the truck when it exploded, resulting in their pulverization.

In 2021, at least 60 people were killed in Cap-Haitien when it was believed that they were trying to steal fuel from a tanker truck.

In recent weeks, the frequency of fuel deliveries to the Miragoane area has decreased due to the transportation of trucks via ferry to bypass the gang-controlled highways near Port-au-Prince.

The proliferation of gangs in the capital and nearby regions has resulted in a humanitarian crisis characterized by large-scale displacement, sexual assault, child recruitment, and widespread hunger. As a result, a state of emergency has been declared across the country.

In southern Haiti, a 31-year-old man and two 23-year-old men were reported by Haiti's civil protection agency to have suffered severe burns, covering over 89% of their bodies. These individuals are currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Les Cayes.