Eighty-five people have been killed in rural South Sudan

Eighty-five people have been killed in a fuel tanker explosion in rural South Sudan, according to officials in the country.

Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said 50 others were injured in the blast which took place in Maridi in the country’s Western Equatoria state after the vehicle veered off the road.

Citing the accounts of local authorities, he said the tanker was “full of petrol” that started to leak and residents were siphoning off fuel when someone lit a cigarette, sparking an explosion.

Mr Ateny said the injured were taken to local hospitals which are overwhelmed by casualties.

More on this as we get it.