Petrol tanker explodes killing 29 in Uganda

A petrol tanker explosion has killed 29 people in Uganda and left scores more badly burned.

Police spokesman Ibn Senkumbi said the gas tanker exploded after colliding with a car late yesterday on the outskirts of the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

Most of the dead were passenger motorcyclists who had tried to siphon petrol from the tanker.

Explosions involving moving petrol tankers happen frequently in this poor East African country, often killing those who rush to the scene with plastic cans hoping to steal fuel.