Escuche esta historia
--:--
3:22
Tragedy in Haiti: Fuel Truck Explosion Kills 75 People
To the accident, which also left dozens of injured, is added the hospital crisis due to lack of medical supplies to care for patients
It seems that in Haiti it rains in the wet, since about 75 people died on Monday night after a tanker truck that was transporting gasoline in the city of Cap Haitien, overturned and later exploded.
The high number of people killed, according to the authorities' report, is due to the fact that after the collision the victims began to collect the fuel that was spilled when it caught fire.
On Monday night, 62 deaths had been reported, however, this Tuesday government authorities indicated through a statement that the figure had risen to 75. In the document they assert that "what happened is terrible. We lost many lives."
The truck, after turning around, launched a fireball that surrounded the vehicles and homes that were near the scene. On Tuesday a dozen people were injured as they apparently continued trying to collect fuel.
Pierrot Degaul Agustín, a Cape Haitian government official, explained that the truck driver deviated in order to avoid colliding with a motorcycle, causing him to lose control and end up in a highway channel.
Likewise, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry reported through his Twitter account that three days of mourning had been declared in the country, in memory of the people who lost their lives in the terrible tragedy. He further affirmed that the entire nation is grieved by the unfortunate event.
Henry then went to Justinien University Hospital, where the injured were transported, and shared photos of his visit, and announced via Twitter that emergency funds were available to the city.
Hospitals without medical supplies
The president of the Cap Haitian municipal commission, Yvrose Pierre, said that the health center lacks medical supplies, such as intravenous, gauze and injections, so he called on people who have the possibility to help, do it, to that the doctors could attend to the burned people.
The Justinien University Hospital was where the first injured were transferred, however, the shortage of supplies meant that the other victims who were arriving had to be transferred to other assistance centers. They also exceeded the ability to receive injuries, and they feared that they would not be able to save everyone.
A city newspaper published a graph showing that many of the injured were treated in the courtyard of the Justinien hospital, because the hospital was not enough to care for them inside.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that a team from the organization went to the scene of the tragedy to support officials in the rescue efforts. He also expressed his solidarity with the Haitian people.
Haiti, a country of tragedies
Haiti is one of the poorest in the American continent, however, this is not the most tragic thing in the nation, since it constantly suffers from various situations that range from political destabilization, and natural catastrophes, preventing the people from emerging.
A good part of the population lives from the sale of “smuggled” fuel, due to the economic crisis in which the nation finds itself. In addition, the country currently suffers from a gasoline shortage and a rise in its price, deepening the situation for the people.
The country was in public opinion in the middle of this year, specifically on July 7, when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated ; a month later a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook the territory, leaving more than 2,200 people dead and a large amount of material loss.
As if that were not enough, violence has become the daily bread and butter, as large numbers of gangs have seized territory, sowing chaos and kidnapping people like the 17 American missionaries in the month of October.
