The death toll from a January 23 explosion in a truck carrying gas to Lima has risen to 23, after the death of a severely burned 65-year-old woman, the health ministry said on Monday. "The death toll from a truck explosion in Villa El Salvador," a populated suburb south of the Peruvian capital, "has risen to 23," the ministry said in a statement.
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The new victim was badly burned by the fireball which quickly spread on the public highway, the same source said. In total, around 50 people were seriously burned. Twenty-three injured people are still hospitalized in Lima, including four children.
The explosion had occurred following a gas leak caused by the detachment of a pipe from the truck carrying 10,000 liters of fuel, passed on a donkey. The fire spread very quickly and destroyed 15 homes. The driver of the truck, Luis Guzman, 74, was initially announced to have died in the accident. But he eventually survived the accident and was charged with manslaughter.
