Tanker driver killed and two workers badly burnt in Lusaka Industrial Area diesel blast

A fuel tanker driver has died and two other workers are in hospital with serious burns after an explosion in Lusaka's Industrial Area. The three men were transferring diesel from a faulty tanker into another tanker on Monday at about 17:40 when the blast happened near the top valves of the last compartment. The faulty tanker was carrying about 25,000 litres of diesel meant for a client. Kondanani Phiri, 43, of George Compound, who was driving the hired tanker, died while receiving treatment at Matero Level One Hospital. Phillimon Chitalusha, 39, of Makeni Villa, and Prince Ngongo, 23, of the Salima area in Matero, survived with serious burns and remain admitted at the same hospital. Police spokesperson Chipo Kaitisha gave the details. Police have opened an inquiry file and investigations into the cause are continuing. No charge has been filed. Mr Phiri's body was taken to the University Teaching Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination. The company that owned or operated the tankers has not been named. ## How fuel gets moved Zambia has no refinery in operation and brings in finished fuel by road and rail, which means almost every litre sold at a pump has spent part of its journey on a tanker. When a tanker breaks down with a full load, the fuel has to be moved into another vehicle, and that work is often done at the roadside or in a yard rather than at a depot built for it. Police have not said what ignited the diesel in this case. ## Why it matters The men doing this work are not executives. They are drivers and loaders on day rates or short contracts, and a burn injury of this kind means months in hospital, if not worse, with a family losing its earner at the same time. There is no public register of fuel-handling accidents in Zambia, so each one tends to be reported on its own and then forgotten, which makes it hard to know whether safety rules for transferring fuel are being followed or enforced. The explosion also happened in the middle of a debat