Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bukavu (Agenzia Fides) – "It is a tragedy whose precise dimensions are not yet known. According to the local radio, the number of dead could be 300," Fides was told by Sister Teresina Caffi, a Xaverian missionary from Bukavu, capital of South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where in the village of Sange (about 70 km south of Bukavu), a tanker truck caught fire and exploded.
"According to information we have gathered, a convoy of five tanker trucks was crossing the center of the village when one of them capsized. The crowd rushed to collect fuel, a bit as occurs in Nigeria. Suddenly a spark, possibly caused by a cigarette butt, caused the explosion," says the missionary.
"There is a busy marketplace in downtown Sange, thus it is feared that the victim count will be very high," says Sister Teresina.
According to local authorities, dozens of homes built on earth and straw, were destroyed.
North and South Kivu are two of the most unstable areas of Congo due to the presence of numerous armed groups that have been fighting for a long time, thus hindering the social and economic development of the civilian population which is forced to live in poverty and insecurity. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 03/07/2010)
