2010 South Kivu tank truck explosion
Encyclopedia
The 2010 South Kivu tank truck explosion took place late in the afternoon of 2 July 2010 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
. A tank truck
travelling from Tanzania
overturned in the village of Sange in South Kivu, and later exploded, resulting in at least 230 deaths and 196 injured.
border. Mende Omalanga, the Democratic Republic of Congo's Minister of Communications, claimed that the truck was trying to overtake a bus. A local police officer reported that the driver was traveling at an "excessive speed".
Among the dead were 36 women and 61 children. Some of the injured have severe burn wounds. A medical source said that the local hospitals "do not have necessary logistical materials to treat those who are seriously injured".
The United Nations are investigating the explosion. It was initially reported that five of the dead were United Nations
peacekeepers
, but this was reported later as being incorrect.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. A tank truck
Tank truck
A tank truck or road tanker is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquefied loads, dry bulk cargo or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars which are also designed to carry liquefied loads...
travelling from Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
overturned in the village of Sange in South Kivu, and later exploded, resulting in at least 230 deaths and 196 injured.
Crash
The truck overturned in the village of Sange, near the Congo-BurundiBurundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
border. Mende Omalanga, the Democratic Republic of Congo's Minister of Communications, claimed that the truck was trying to overtake a bus. A local police officer reported that the driver was traveling at an "excessive speed".
Explosion
An explosion occurred as villagers "attempted to collect the oil" that was spilling from the overturned vehicle. Omalanga said that one local resident was smoking a cigarette, a spark from which ignited the fuel. Many mud and grass huts were destroyed in the subsequent fire.Among the dead were 36 women and 61 children. Some of the injured have severe burn wounds. A medical source said that the local hospitals "do not have necessary logistical materials to treat those who are seriously injured".
The United Nations are investigating the explosion. It was initially reported that five of the dead were United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peacekeepers
United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO , is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which was established by the United Nations Security Council in resolutions 1279...
, but this was reported later as being incorrect.