People attend a burial ceremony for victims of a tanker explosion in Morogoro, Tanzania on Aug. 11, 2019. (Xinhua)
As death toll rises to 89 in Tanzania's fuel tanker explosion accident with the death of seven more victims, doctors and nurses are still working round the clock to save the lives of 31 victims admitted to the hospital.
DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of people killed in a fuel tanker explosion in Morogoro, Tanzania, has risen to 89 on Thursday, an official said.
Aminiel Aligaesha, public relations officer with the Muhimbili National Hospital, the country's leading medical referral facility, said seven more victims died on Thursday.
People attend a burial ceremony for victims of a tanker explosion in Morogoro, Tanzania on Aug. 11, 2019. (Xinhua)
"Doctors and nurses are working round the clock to save the lives of 31 victims admitted to the hospital," Aligaesha said.
The seven were among the 38 admitted to the hospital with severe burns after the explosion Saturday that killed over 60 on the spot in Morogoro, 200 km west of commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
On Sunday, 71 of the deceased were buried in a mass grave.
People line up to identify bodies of victims in Morogoro, Tanzania, Aug. 11, 2019. (Xinhua)
Most of the dead were reportedly trying to collect petrol leaked from the overturned fuel tanker before it exploded.
Also on Sunday, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced the formation of a special team to investigate into the explosion.
The accident scene after a petrol tanker exploded in Morogoro Region, Tanzania. (Xinhua)
"The investigative team should submit its report to me by Friday," Majaliwa told people who gathered at the Morogoro regional hospital to identify bodies of victims.
