Tanker explosion kills 1 person, destroys 60 houses

An oil tanker truck exploded in Cameroon’s commercial city of Douala in the early hours of Friday, killing one person and destroying at least 60 houses, police sources told Xinhua.

“The circumstances leading to the explosion are still unclear but we know that the tanker was carrying waste belonging to a French company. Apart from one dead, one person has been injured and four others are missing,’’ a police source told Xinhua.

There was panic in Nouvelle Route Bessengue neigbourhood where the explosion occurred, witnesses said.

“People hurried out of their houses running to nowhere. Children were crying. We are still looking for some of our friends and neighbours. They are missing,’’ 36-year-old Michael Wakam, who witnessed the incident told Xinhua.

Videos shared on social media showed towering flames and billowing smoke emanating from the scene of the explosion.