Survivors of Congo gas tanker explosion recovering

SANGE, Congo - Dozens of moaning and badly burned survivors from a massive tanker blast that killed at least 230 people recovered in hospitals and clinics across eastern Congo yesterday, two days after the wrecked fuel truck exploded on a rural highway.

President Joseph Kabila declared two days of national mourning. Red Cross workers sprayed chlorine and poured disinfectant powder over the blackened scene of the explosions in the village of Sange.

In a conflict-strewn corner of one of the world's most unstable countries, the shocking tragedy late Friday was a devastating blow for residents who survived back-to-back wars that lasted from 1996 to 2002.

"When we had the war here, we had everything stolen from us," said Muke Ndengwa, whose 15-year-old son was nearly killed. "Now we have lost so much again."

The tanker hauling fuel overturned as it tried to pass a minibus in Sange, near the Burundi border. Tipped on its side, the tanker began gushing gasoline beside three television halls made of brick and wood, where hundreds of people had gathered to watch the World Cup.

Crowds gathered around the wreck, and dozens of people began trying to collect the leaking gasoline with jerry-cans and plastic buckets, ignoring pleas from UN peacekeepers to move away because of the danger.

Within an hour, a fire started and a massive explosion suddenly engulfed the three TV halls and a nearby market.

"The hall was full of people," said Jackson Ndengwa, 15, who was in one of the makeshift halls to watch Ghana play Uruguay. - AP