Authorities in Mozambique were on Friday investigating whether locals were taking petrol from a tanker that exploded in the country's west killing at least 56 people and injuring more than 100.
Officials had originally put the death toll at 73 following the massive blast on Thursday in Tete province, in the country's remote western region near Malawi.
By Friday morning, officials had counted 56 bodies in mortuaries as searching continued and three days of national mourning were announced.
“In the accident, 108 people were injured, 96 of whom are still being kept in for treatment at Tete Provincial Hospital,” government spokesman Mouzinho Saide said at a press conference in Maputo.
“The cabinet has created a commission of inquiry to investigate the circumstances, causes and responsibilities for this accident.”
Authorities suggested that residents may have been taking petrol after the vehicle had crashed or been abandoned by drivers who fled when they feared it could explode.
Photographs from the hospital in Tete showed badly burned children arriving for emergency care.
“Of the people brought in, we have two pregnant women, 17 children, and a total of 45 severe injuries, with cases of third-degree burns,” Jose Mendonca, Tete provincial government spokesman, told reporters late Thursday.
Syphoning fuel?
Hospital staffing has been reinforced to help deal with the large numbers of injured.
“We do not yet have a definitive idea about the original source of the fire,” said Mendonca.
One local journalist told AFP the truck had crashed on Wednesday and exploded on Thursday afternoon as scores of people tried to syphon off fuel.
The government in Mozambique, one of the world's poorest countries, recently increased the price of fuel after the value of the local currency ─ the metical ─ fell sharply.
The metical has collapsed by 70 per cent against the US dollar this year after falling 36 percent in 2015.
The Tete provincial government has appealed for emergency food aid and transport assistance for affected families.
National mourning will be from Saturday until Monday.
President Filipe Nyusi told reporters that "tragedy has knocked on our door" with the high loss of life.
"What is important now is to take action and help the affected," he said.
Photographs and video footage from the hospital in Tete showed badly burned children arriving for emergency care and adults lying on hospital beds.
"We still have a lot of cases in a critical condition, including children and two pregnant women, out of 38 cases in total," Tete hospital director Veronica de Deus said.
"The vast majority of patients have severe burns. Some have 80 to 90 percent of their bodies burnt," she said on public broadcaster TVM.
Authorities said many of the dead would be buried in a mass grave, and announced that three days of national mourning would start on Saturday.
A plastic surgeon and other emergency health staff have been sent from Maputo, 1,500 km (930 miles) by road, to help deal with the large numbers of injured, including 17 children.
The government in Mozambique, one of the world's poorest countries, recently increased the price of fuel after the value of the local currency -- the metical -- fell sharply.
The metical has collapsed by 70 percent against the US dollar this year after falling 36 percent in 2015.
The Tete provincial government has appealed for emergency food aid and transport assistance for affected families.
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