Tears as 71 kerosene tanker fire victims are buried
Bodies of 71 people who died on Saturday while trying to collect leaked kerosene from a tanker that fell and later exploded have been laid to rest amidst tears.
The deadly incident occurred near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.
The Librator gathered that country’s President, John Magufuli has declared a period of mourning through Monday. He was represented at funerals by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.
Majaliwa spoke at a ceremony in Kola, less than 20 minutes from where the disaster occurred some 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Dar es Salaam.
He gave a new death toll of 71, along with 59 injured. White coffins were lowered into graves by members of the security forces, after which Islamic or Christian clerics said brief prayers and tossed handfuls of earth on them.
A Pentecostal pastor named Mechak said in a service broadcast on television that “this should serve as a lesson to us. When there is an accident like this we should steer clear and let rescue workers do their job.”
