KAMPALA, Uganda, June 30 (UPI) -- The death toll from a fire ignited after a car hit a tanker truck in Kampala, Uganda, rose to 31 people, police said Sunday.
The fire began at 10 p.m. Saturday after a Toyota crashed into the rear of a fuel tanker, causing the fuel to leak, The Sunday Monitor said.
The fuel spilled all over the road and into the drainage channels, making the entire area susceptible to a fire, officials said.
Witnesses told the Monitor that the victims rushed to the scene with buckets to help scoop up the fuel.
The fire then engulfed the scene and trapped several people.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Commander Andrew Kaweesi described the event as a national tragedy, the Monitor said.
Twenty-nine people who survived the blaze but were severely burned were hospitalized.
Families and friends of the victims had also reported to the mortuary to help identify them.
Most of the bodies are burnt beyond recognition, officials said.
