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On 14 December 2021, a fuel
tank truck A tank truck, gas truck, fuel truck, or tanker truck (American English) or tanker (British English) is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquids or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars, which are also desi ...
explode An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...
d in the Samari neighborhood of
Cap-Haïtien Cap-Haïtien (; ; "Haitian Cape") is a List of communes of Haiti, commune of about 400,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Departments of Haiti, department of Nord (Haitian department), Nord. Previously named ''Cap‑Fran� ...
, the capital city of the
Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
an department of
Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...
. At least 90 people were killed and more than 120 were injured; many people were injured as a result of rushing towards the tanker, likely to collect some of its cargo, before the explosion occurred. Many inhabitants were suffering from financial crisis. Haiti, hit with an
economic crisis A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and ma ...
worsened by an earthquake four months earlier, was unable to adequately treat victims of the explosion, with hospitals undersupplied and in disarray.


Background

In 2021, Haiti was the poorest country in the
Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...
. Economic and political crises were compounded by the
assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
of
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Jovenel Moïse Jovenel Moïse (; ; 26 June 1968 – 7 July 2021) was a Haitian politician and Businessperson, businessman who served as President of Haiti from 2017 until Assassination of Jovenel Moïse, his assassination in 2021. Moïse assumed the preside ...
, and the
2021 Haiti earthquake At 08:29:09 EDT on 14 August 2021, a magnitude7.2 earthquake struck the Tiburon Peninsula of southern Haiti. It had a 10-kilometre-deep (6.2 mi) hypocenter near Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) west of the ...
which caused 2,248 deaths and
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
1.5 billion in damage, and an unstable
electrical grid An electrical grid (or electricity network) is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power tran ...
that left hospitals, schools, and businesses dependent on gasoline generators. In the wake of the earthquake,
looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
and gang activity became rampant, stifling aid and recovery efforts. Gangs hijacked fuel trucks,
kidnap Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...
ped their drivers, and took control of fuel distribution ports. In November 2021, G9 gang leader
Jimmy Chérizier Jimmy Chérizier (; born 30 March 1977), nicknamed Barbecue (), is a Haitian gang leader, former police officer, and warlord who is the head of the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies (), abbreviated as "G9" or "FRG9", a federation ...
announced that fuel trucks would temporarily be allowed back into
Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...
. Citizens of Haiti scrambled to get gasoline, with some selling to the
black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...
.


Explosion

A fuel tanker carrying of gasoline, in an attempt to avoid a motorbike, overturned and began spilling fuel. The driver of the truck exited the vehicle and warned bystanders not to approach. However some of the victims of the explosion had rushed forward after the initial crash. After it exploded fuel stored in nearby houses worsened the extent of the explosion. The blast set 50 homes on fire, damaged businesses, and charred vehicles. The cause of the explosion was trash that was smoldering when gasoline from the truck reached it. Firefighters were dispatched to the area, but due to water shortages had to call in aid from airport fire services.


Victims

Ninety people were killed in the explosion and more than 100 people were injured. After the explosion, several victims were injured due to trampling. Ambulances took up to five hours to arrive, and 15 victims had to be airlifted. Victims were sent to smaller, less equipped hospitals because the largest hospital in the city had shut down in November, due to being attacked by bandits. These hospitals were overwhelmed and were unable to handle the victims, as they lacked basic supplies, with some victims being placed on the floor or the yard of the hospital due to the lack of hospital beds. Fourteen victims died while in the hospital.


Aftermath

Field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile ...
s were also set up in the city.
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
sent medical equipment to the city for burn victims. Acting President and
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Ariel Henry Ariel Henry (; born 6 November 1949) is a Haitian neurosurgeon and politician who served as the acting Prime Minister of Haiti, prime minister of Haiti from Assassination of Jovenel Moïse, the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021 until his r ...
announced three days of mourning in the country.


See also

*
Gasoline theft Gasoline theft occurs when gasoline is stolen from a gas station, pipeline or vehicle. From vehicle tanks People can siphon fuel from fuel tanks or use special devices to remove gasoline from the fuel tank. Fuel theft has shown to amount to as ...
*
Tlahuelilpan pipeline explosion On 18 January 2019, a pipeline transporting gasoline exploded in the town of Tlahuelilpan, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The blast killed at least 137 people and injured dozens more. Mexican authorities blamed fuel thieves, who had illegal ...


References

{{Tanker explosions 2021 disasters in North America 2021 in Haiti 2021 road incidents 2020s road incidents in North America Fuel tanker explosion Deaths caused by petroleum looting December 2021 crimes in North America Explosions in 2021 Explosions in North America Fires in Haiti Road incidents in Haiti Vehicle fires in North America 2021 crimes in Haiti Tank truck explosions December 2021 in Haiti