FREETOWN, Nov 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio declared three days of national mourning from Monday to Wednesday for the 108 lives lost in a fuel tanker explosion here.
During his visit to hospitals treating the victims, Bio said a presidential task force will be set up in the coming days to carry out a thorough investigation on the accident.
“We must learn from this unfortunate incident,” he said, “I have cut short my overseas trip to see the dead and meet survivors of the fuel tanker explosion.”
He said he was devastated by the huge loss of lives of his compatriots.
A loaded fuel tanker exploded late Friday in east Freetown after colliding with a truck, leaving 108 people dead and 92 others injured. Most of the victims were street vendors and motorcyclists who tried to scoop up the leaking fuel before it ignited. — NNN-XINHUA
