HavanacTypeface:> At least 15 people have been killed and another 40 injured after a tanker truck carrying petrol exploded in the Caribbean state of Haiti, Prime Minister Garry Conille said.

The explosion occurred in the municipality of Miragoâne, located in the south-west of the country.

Nineteen people with severe burns were flown to specialized hospitals in the capital Port-au-Prince, newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported, citing local authorities.

According to the report, the tanker was punctured after colliding with a broken-down lorry. Local residents then tried to steal the leaking petrol, which ignited and caused the explosion.

In 2021, at least 70 people were killed in a similar incident in the north of the country. (DPA)