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| Mozambique fuel tanker blast kills dozens | Mozambique fuel tanker blast kills dozens |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| At least 56 people have been killed and 108 injured in a fuel tanker explosion in western Mozambique, officials say. | |
| The circumstances of the blast on Thursday afternoon in the village of Caphirizanje in Tete province, near the border with Malawi, remain unclear. | The circumstances of the blast on Thursday afternoon in the village of Caphirizanje in Tete province, near the border with Malawi, remain unclear. |
| Some reports say the driver of the tanker was trying to sell fuel to villagers, others that he was ambushed. | Some reports say the driver of the tanker was trying to sell fuel to villagers, others that he was ambushed. |
| The blast itself may have been caused by a lightning strike or a fire nearby, reports say. | The blast itself may have been caused by a lightning strike or a fire nearby, reports say. |
| The government says it will provide coffins for identified victims who will be buried on Friday. | |
| Those burned beyond recognition have been buried in a common grave, government sources told the BBC. | |
| The BBC's Jose Tembe in the capital, Maputo, says officials initially said 73 people had died in the explosion. | |
| The fact that the official figure is now lower may be that it only accounts for actual bodies recovered, he says. | |
| Price hike | Price hike |
| Dozens of charred bodies lay around the blast site. Some of the badly burned victims had tried to run into the local river, Radio Mozambique said. | Dozens of charred bodies lay around the blast site. Some of the badly burned victims had tried to run into the local river, Radio Mozambique said. |
| Another report said the vehicle had crashed on Wednesday afternoon and that villagers were siphoning off fuel when it exploded on Thursday. | Another report said the vehicle had crashed on Wednesday afternoon and that villagers were siphoning off fuel when it exploded on Thursday. |
| The government said it "deplores the loss of life... and is currently providing the necessary assistance in order to save lives and to comfort the victims' families". | The government said it "deplores the loss of life... and is currently providing the necessary assistance in order to save lives and to comfort the victims' families". |
| Three ministers are due to arrive in the area on Friday to oversee the rescue work and carry out an inquiry. | Three ministers are due to arrive in the area on Friday to oversee the rescue work and carry out an inquiry. |
| The government also declared three days of national mourning after an emergency cabinet meeting convened by President Filipe Nyusi on Friday morning. | |
| Mozambique's government recently increased the price of fuel in response to the fall of the local currency against the dollar. | Mozambique's government recently increased the price of fuel in response to the fall of the local currency against the dollar. |
| One of the world's poorest countries, more than half of Mozambique's 24 million population lives below the poverty line. | |
| It gained independence from Portugal in 1975 but is still suffering from the effects of a 16-year civil war that ended in 1992. | It gained independence from Portugal in 1975 but is still suffering from the effects of a 16-year civil war that ended in 1992. |