Oil Tanker Explosion Kills Scores in S. Sudan

Map of South Sudan

Officials in South Sudan say at least 60 people were killed when an overturned oil tanker exploded, incinerating those who were trying to siphon out the fuel.

Mariam Tito, chief of the Mambe Mayan district, told VOA's South Sudan in Focus program the death toll is likely to rise due to the severity of many victims' burns.

She said more than 100 others were injured in Wednesday's incident.

Such explosions are not uncommon in East Africa, where people often converge on broken-down tankers to steal fuel. In June 2013, 30 people were killed in a fuel truck explosion in Uganda.