Fuel tanker crash kills 50 in Congo

About 50 people died and 100 were burnt yesterday after an oil tanker collided with a vehicle on an arterial highway in the west of DR Congo, the acting go

vernor of the region said.

"We have about 50 dead and a 100 people have suffered second degree burns," said Atou Matabuana, the interim governor of Kongo Central region, according to the actualite.cd website.

Deputy Governor of Kongo Central province, Atou Matubuana Nkuluki, said authorities were doing what they could to help victims of the crash in the village of Mbuta, about 130 km (80 miles) from the capital .

The accident occurred on a highway linking the capital Kinshasa to the country's sole port at Matadi on the Atlantic Ocean. It took place near the city of Kisantu, about 120 kilometres (100 miles) west of Kinshasa. The UN's Okapi radio said "the flames spread rapidly engulfing nearby houses."

Roads in the central African nation are notoriously bad after years of war and neglect.

In 2010, at least 230 people were killed in Congo when a fuel tanker overturned and exploded, unleashing a fire ball that tore through homes and cinemas packed with people watching World Cup soccer.

Overloaded trucks carrying goods as well as oil tankers regularly ply this highway.