100 dead after oil tanker explodes in South Sudan

At least 100 people are dead after an oil tanker exploded as people were crowding around it and trying to siphon off fuel.

The tanker had veered off the road on its way to the Equatoria region, west of Juba in South Sudan.

A regional official told Reuters that 100 people are now confirmed dead and 50 people are seriously injured.

Such incidents have happened before in a region where fuel tankers often have to travel long distances along potholed roads and pass through poor communities.

There are almost no tarmac roads in South Sudan, one of Africa's poorest nations, which has been mired in conflict since December 2013.

Ateny Wek Ateny, presidential spokesman, said the incident was not related to the conflict.

"This was an accident," he said, adding the tanker had veered off the road and later exploded with a crowd around it.