A pipeline explosion in a densely populated area of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown has killed at least ten people and seriously injured 35, medical authorities said on Monday.The blast happened on Saturday when police fired tear gas canisters into a large crowd scooping up petrol from a leaking pipeline, witnesses said.
Flames from a huge fire caused by the explosion engulfed nearby shacks in the crowded district in eastern port area of the city, forcing hundreds of residents to flee.
Seven people were killed at the site, their bodies being so badly burned as to make identification difficult, medics said.
Three more people died from their injuries, doctors at Freetown's main Connaught Hospital said.
Some 35 people who are badly burned are still being treated and 17 of them are on "a life-threatening list", the doctors added.
