Miragoâne, Haiti, September 14, 2024 – A devastating tanker explosion in southwestern Haiti has claimed the lives of 24 people, with over 40 others injured, many suffering severe burns. The explosion occurred in the locality of Calbabasier, in the town of Miragoâne, when a fuel truck carrying petroleum products overturned. Witnesses reported that some victims had been attempting to collect leaking fuel from the vehicle just before the deadly blast.
According to Emmanuel Pierre, head of Haiti’s civil protection agency, the death toll rose from 16 to 24 after rescuers found additional charred bodies near the site of the explosion. The injured were rushed to Sainte-Thérèse Hospital in Miragoâne, located about 60 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Due to the severity of their burns, six victims were later evacuated to specialist hospitals in Port-au-Prince, while 13 others, suffering burns over 80% of their bodies, were too severely injured to be transported.
In response to the tragedy, Interim Prime Minister Garry Conille convened an emergency government meeting to coordinate relief efforts. The explosion in Miragoâne draws grim comparisons to a similar disaster in Cap-Haïtien in 2021, when more than 60 people lost their lives after another tanker explosion.
