A fuel tanker flipped over and exploded into flames in eastern Congo overnight, killing at least 220 villagers and wounding more than 100 — many of whom had rushed to siphon leaking liquid from the vehicle illegally, the UN and local officials said Saturday.
The truck was transporting fuel when it overturned at high speed late Friday near the village of Sange, around 20 miles north of the town of Uvira near the Burundi border. Sange is located between Uvira and the Congolese provincial capital, Bukavu, further to the north. After the accident, “people came out and tried to siphon the contents of the tanker,” said Madnodje Mounoubai, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission, which has rushed troops to help survivors.
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Iran court amputates thief’s hand
Tehran, July 3: Iranian authorities have cut off the hand of a convicted thief after a court ruling in the western city of Malayer, the hardline Kayhan newspaper reported on Saturday.
“Following a court ruling, a thief’s hand was amputated in Malayer,” the report said, referring to the city located in Hamedan province.
It did not specify if the verdict was carried out in public or in prison, or if a doctor was present during the amputation.
Under Iran’s Sharia-based Islamic law, amputation is permissible for crimes such as thefts.
The Kayhan report also said the thief had previously been caught and sentenced several times, before the judge ruled for amputation. —AFP