Terrible! 73 people killed, after fuel tanker explodes in Mozambique

Scores of people have died while others have suffered injuries in Mozambique after a Malawi bound fuel tanker exploded on Thursday night.

Authorities have so far confirmed that 73 people have died and 110 have suffered injuries due to the accident but the numbers may rise.

Dozens of charred bodies were scattered around the blast site in the town of Caphiridzange in Tete province, and government officials believed more bodies might be in surrounding woods, Radio Mozambique reported.

Some badly burned people had tried to run into a nearby river, the radio said.

Medical teams rushed to the scene of the accident, evacuating the injured in ambulances and other vehicles.

Searchers looked for more victims, though their efforts were hampered as night fell.

Some reports say the victims had gathered around the truck to buy fuel from the driver of the tanker while others say the driver was ambushed. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

Citing Mozambican reports, the Portuguese news agency Lusa said one theory was that a fire near the tanker set off the blast, while another theory pointed to a lightning strike as residents were collecting the fuel.

Meanwhile, a national government task force will travel to the accident site today.