Fire at a Gas Station in Hinche over 7 dead, 30 Injured

Updated April 5, 2016 7:18 AM

On Thursday, March 17, 2016, at least 7 people were killed and 30 others were injured when a truck carrying fuel for Total Oil Company caught fire and exploded in the town of Hinche, located some 110 kilometers (65 miles) northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince. As per eyewitness reports, around 2:00 pm in the afternoon, the truck hit a wall and spilled fuel as it was going to unload oil to a Total Service fuel station. As some spilt oil came into the contact with the cooking food on a vendor's outdoor grill, an instant, ignited spark came back to the fuel loaded tank, and exploded. The burnt victims were taken to the area hospitals and to Port-au-Prince for treatment. About 30 people were burnt to varying degrees, including 6 seriously burnt and 7 people lost their lives in the flame. The gas station is located near the bridge Vincent on the National #1. An initial assessment suggests that 4 houses close to the gas station were burnt including several vehicles, one tank truck and more than twenty motorcycles.

'Hinche' in the Central Department is a place like many other towns in Haiti outside the capital city without any fire extinguishing department. Local people and 'Blue Helmet' soldiers of United Nations stabilization force (MINUSTAH) who came to the rescue finally managed the blaze. The truck was an independent carrier, not belonging to the Total Oil. The representatives of the Civil Protection Directorate visited the accident spot immediately to rescue the victims and assist law enforcement agencies, the Red Cross and health facilities. Jocelerme Privert, the interim president issued a statement on Friday calling on authorities for a quick investigation of the explosion. His office has put the death toll at nine.

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Fire at a Gas Station in Hinche over 7 dead, 30 Injured

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