Several casualties feared after a gasoline truck explodes by a highway near Uganda’s capital

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A Ugandan police spokesman says several people might be dead after a fuel truck exploded next to a highway in the East African country.

Patrick Onyango said the truck had overturned after an accident and later exploded in a town just outside Kampala, the capital.

A video shared online by an onlooker appeared to show people scooping up fuel from the truck, a dangerous scene that echoed a similar incident in Nigeria last week that killed more than 140 people, including children.

People who rush to collect fuel from stricken trucks hope to sell it for money.

There have been similar incidents over the years across East Africa. At least 62 people were killed in Tanzania in 2019 as they attempted to siphon fuel out of a damaged truck.