Iran condoles with Congo over oil tanker fire victims

The Iranian Foreign Ministry extended the country's condolences to the Democratic Republic of Congo over the death and injury of dozens of people after the collusion of an oil tanker and a bus.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Sunday voiced regret over the explosion of the oil tanker which killed and wounded tens of people in Congo, sympathizing with the country's government and nation, specially the bereaved families of victims.

At least 50 people were killed early Saturday and more than 100 were badly burned when a tanker truck in Congo collided with another truck and, as villagers rushed to collect the leaking fuel, burst into flames, witnesses and officials said.

"We deplore the deaths," the interim governor of Kongo-Central province, Atu Matubuana, said. Officials were identifying the charred bodies in preparation for burial, Matubuana said.

Faced with one of the country's deadliest traffic accidents, President Joseph Kabila ordered three days of national mourning "in this particularly painful moment for the Congolese people."

The accident occurred overnight in the village of Mbuba, not far from Kisantu city and about 124 miles Southwest of the capital, Kinshasa. The city is on the main highway between the capital and the country's Matadi seaport.

The fire quickly spread to nearby homes, Congo's health ministry said in a statement. An investigation was under way into the cause of the accident.

EA