Congo’s president pays a visit to the site of deadly tanker explosion; 235 dead

Congo president to visit explosion site; 235 dead

KINSHASA, Congo — A government official says that Congo’s president is heading to the site of the massive tanker blast in eastern Congo that killed at least 235 people.

Marcellin Cishambo, a Congolese governor, says President Joseph Kabila already has visited some patients in the eastern province of South Kivu.

Kabila will visit the mass gravesite in Sange on Monday where more than 200 of the victims have been buried. Kabila also has declared a two-day national mourning period.

A tanker truck hauling fuel on a rural eastern Congo highway overturned Friday and exploded killing bystanders, including many who had been watching the World Cup in flimsy roadside shacks.

U.N. radio reported Monday that the death toll has risen to 235.