The president of the Enaport workers’ union said that the company pays 70 thousand dollars (63.5 thousand euros) a month to rent a tugboat, but the company recently asked the government for “a letter of comfort” to buy its own equipment, but the Minister of Infrastructure refused.
It’s a horror scene already seen in many other countries. On Tuesday, a tanker truck was involved in an accident in Totota, Bong County. The lorry ended up lying on the road, and local residents rushed to siphon off the petrol.
Witnesses described people climbing onto the truck, others with containers, trying to retrieve the fuel, or still others hitting the tank with iron bars to release more liquid.
But eventually the vehicle exploded, burning dozens of people alive. Several victims were so badly injured that their bodies were no longer recognizable, while dozens of other wounded were taken to various hospitals in the region, some in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll would continue to rise.
The outgoing Liberian president offered his sincere condolences, speaking of deeply shocking images. George Weah called on Liberians to show solidarity with the bereaved families, before assuring the health authorities of his support in releasing more resources to save as many lives as possible.