AFRICA/CONGO DR - Priest describes tank explosion as “an apocalyptic scene”

Bukavu (Agenzia Fides) – "It's an apocalyptic scene; burned bodies are strewn about the main street of Sange. The dead are definitely more than 200 and dozens of houses have been destroyed," Fides has been told by Fr. Paul, the parish priest of Luvungi, not far from the village of Sange where today, July 3, a tanker truck exploded.
"The incident occurred on the main street, which is narrow. Two trucks probably crashed in the intersection. The tire of the tank exploded and it rolled over. People gathered to collect fuel. Then came the explosion, whose cause is unknown but which may have been caused by a cigarette butt thrown by someone or a spark from the burning truck motor," said Fr. Paul.
"Among the dead were five soldiers of the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUC), who had come to try to extinguish the fire but were overcome by the flames."
"The local authorities, including the Deputy Governor, the UN military, and the Red Cross, arrived on the scene. However, more time is still needed to thoroughly analyze the dimension of the tragedy," the priest concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 03/07/2010)