JUBA , South Sudan, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- At least 100 people died Thursday when an oil tanker truck overturned and exploded in South Sudan, officials said.
The truck, traveling from Juba, the capital, overturned after it veered off a dirt road near Maridi in the country's Western Equatorial state. The truck exploded as the uninjured driver walked to the nearest town for help and local residents gathered around the truck to collect some of its oil.
It was unclear if what caused the explosion as the local people gathered around it.
The BBC reported up to 170 people died and 50 others were injured in the incident.
Maridi County Commissioner Wilson Thomas Yanga said many injured victims fled the incident, so the true number of casualties may never be known. He said medical personnel from around the country were attempting to travel to the area to help. Supplies of oxygen and medicine were reported in short supply in Western Equatorial state.
South Sudan remains among the poorest countries in Africa, with very few paved roads outside cities, and incidents such as Thursday's overturned truck are not uncommon. Although the country is mired in a civil war between rebel factions and the government's army, presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the incident near Marisi was not connected to the conflict.
