Sixteen people were killed in southwestern Haiti on Saturday and about forty others were injured when a tanker truck leaking fuel exploded, said Fidel Nicolas, head of the Civil Protection in the Nippes region.

The blast occurred as the victims were trying to retrieve fuel that was leaking from the truck, witnesses told AFP.

The injured were transported to the Sainte Therese hospital in the port city of Miragoane, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west from the capital Port-au-Prince.

Haiti's interim Prime Minister, Garry Conille called an emergency government meeting to deal with the tragedy, Emmanuel Pierre, national head of Civil Protection told AFP.

Victims in serious condition would be taken for treatment to other regional hospitals, he added.