20100705
reuters

KINSHASA (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo risks another fuel explosion like that which killed some 230 people at the weekend unless it boosts safety in the chaotic east and south of the country, a sector expert said on Monday.

More than 60 children, many of them watching football in makeshift cinema halls, were among those killed in the blast after an oil tanker toppled, and leaking petrol later ignited with the force equivalent to 343 kg (756 lb) of dynamite.

"It can easily happen again unless the government tightens safety measures," Alain Ilunga, deputy CEO of Congo's fuel distribution company SEP Congo, a joint venture with Total, told Reuters on Monday.

SEP distributes 95 percent of fuel in the west of the country, imported by a mix of traders including Swiss-based companies Glencore and Trafigura, which together accounted for 54 percent of stock in the first half of the year in the west.

Since the 1998-2003 war that drew in six neighbours and killed more than five million people, the state's share of fuel distribution in the east has dwindled to 25 percent from 80 percent of the market as private transporters have stepped in.

"We have lost the market in the east to independents since the war but most of them do not play by the rules or measure up to international safety standards," said Ilunga.

He said poorly maintained vehicles, untrained drivers, poor quality fuel, driving at night outside cities and a lack of insurance and other documentation were among the pitfalls.

Buhendwa Mayele, head of accounts at GINKI, the local private Congolese company whose hired tanker exploded, blamed the road for the accident and told Reuters there had been no problems with the truck or driver.