Tanker explosion toll rises to 183

The death toll from a fuel tanker explosion in a rural South Sudanese state reached 183, a regional official said, as medical staff and volunteers struggled to keep up with the influx of severely burned patients.

At least 60 more people are unaccounted for, said Commissioner Wilson Thomas Yanga of Maridi County in the state of Western Equatoria, where the blast occurred.

The truck carrying gasoline overturned outside Maridi and exploded shortly after hundreds of villagers had gathered around to siphon fuel.