4 July 2010Last updated at 11:33

In pictures: DR Congo tanker explosion

The burnt-out wreck of an oil tanker following an explosion in Sange village, Democratic Republic of Congo

At least 230 people have been killed and more than 100 injured when an oil tanker over-turned and exploded, starting a blaze that swept through a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A man waiting for treatment for burns after the oil tanker explosion in DR Congo

Many of the injured suffered terrible burns, and some were flown by helicopter to hospital for treatment. Among the dead were football fans who had gathered to watch the World Cup in a cinema.

A woman walks past the charred wreck of the tanker lorry

Some of those who died in Friday night's blaze, in Sange village near the border with Burundi, were trying to collect fuel leaking from the overturned vehicle. Peacekeepers had reportedly urged people to leave the area before the explosion.

Red Cross and UN workers bury victims of the tanker explosion in a mass grave in Sange

The bodies of some victims were buried in mass graves on Saturday. Red Cross and UN teams wearing masks carried the bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting to two sites outside the village.

Olivier Jerrard, a 10-year-old who survived the oil explosion is treated in Sange

Peacekeepers helped evacuate dozens of the injured to hospitals in the nearby towns of Bukavu and Uvira. Congolese troops were also sent to Sange to help survivors.

Children stand next to a burned out hut in Sange

Jean-Claude Kibala, vice-governor in the district, described the devastation in Sange as "terrible", and said: "The population is in terrible shock - no-one is crying or speaking." At least 61 children and 36 women were feared to be among the dead.

Africa

In pictures: DR Congo tanker explosion

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