The US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland,m commented on the explosion of the Bent Bayya fuel tanker. “The U.S. Embassy team and I were saddened to learn about the fatal explosion in Sebha,” he tweeted.
“We express our condolences to the families of victims. We also encourage full cooperation in order to facilitate the responses by emergency services,” Norland added.
Notably, The US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland is preparing to leave his post, according to Africa Intelligence.
The incident left at least eight people dead, and over 50 injured. It took place in the central town of Bent Bayya, according to the Health Ministry in Tripoli.
Pictures posted on social media pages by residents showed a burnt-out truck and several other vehicles on both sides of the road, in the Azwaiya area of Bent Bayya municipality.
The medical sources said five bodies were found burned either inside or near the vehicles. They added that the death toll was expected to rise, as there remained serious cases among the injured. It was not clear if the driver of the truck was among the victims.
“The truck was involved in a traffic accident and overturned,” the security source said.
The source said that “after the truck overturned but before it caught on fire, some people from other cars had approached it to try and take fuel from the truck’s tank. (Those) citizens approached it to refuel without realizing the magnitude of the danger,” the source said. “Unfortunately, the fire broke out in the truck and resulted in the casualties.”
Recently, the United States (US) Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, warned of the possibility of an escalation of violence in the country, after clashes between armed groups in the capital, Tripoli, spread to the outskirts of the Libyan city of Misrata.
In a statement, Norland said, “today’s clashes in Misrata demonstrate the dangerous prospect that the recent violence will escalate. The US urges all political actors and their supporters among armed groups to stand down in order to avoid escalation and further loss of life.”