Poverty Kills

Yesterday, over 100 people and counting were killed and another 200 plus severely injured when a gas tanker overturned and civilians rushed to siphon gas from the truck. To their dismay, the truck cut on fire, causing a fatal catastrophe.



It's difficult to understand why anyone in their right mind would run towards an overturned gas truck, but hundreds of people could only think of the benefits of free fuel and put their lives on the line. Sadly, the outcome was a great loss of life.

This morning I almost came to tears looking at images of people sprawled out on the floors of Kenyan hospitals, which could not absorb the number of people with life threatening burns and injuries.



I remember when the same thing happened in Cameroon and in Nigeria. Though high, the casualties were less than in this instance and you have to wonder at which point will people learn that fuel to last a few weeks is not worth the rest of your lives! But poverty kills in so many ways....