At least 92 people have died following a collision between an oil tanker and a bus which later exploded as a crowd gathered to collect leaking fuel.
The explosion took place in the early hours after a bus struck the tanker in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
Video shows a giant fireball burning in the night sky following the explosion, as some survivors with severe burns cried out in pain.
Charred remains of the victims were visible at the scene awaiting transport to mortuaries.
Deputy Health Minister, Amara Jambai, told Reuters that a further 100 casualties have been admitted for treatment at hospitals and clinics across the capital.
The mortuary at Connaught Hospital reported 92 bodies had been brought in by Saturday morning.
According to hospital staff, about 30 severely burned victims were not expected to survive.
Mayor of the port city, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, said victims included people who had flocked to collect fuel leaking from the ruptured vehicle.
In a video from the scene shared online, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Brima Bureh Sesay, lamented over the number of casualties and burnt corpses.
Images shared widely online showed several badly burned victims lying on the streets as the fire blazed through shops and houses nearby.
President Julius Maada Bio, who is in Scotland attending the United Nations climate talks Saturday, deplored the horrendous loss of life.
In a tweet on his verified Twitter handle, he expressed his profound sympathy with families who had lost loved ones and those who have been maimed as a result.
(SUN UK)
