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Map of South Kivu province in DR Congo
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| Date | 2 July 2010 |
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| Location | Sange village, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Reported injuries | 190+ |
| Reported death(s) | 230+ |
The 2010 South Kivu tank truck explosion took place late in the afternoon of 2 July 2010[1] in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2][3][4] A tank truck travelling from Tanzania overturned in the village of Sange in South Kivu, and later exploded, resulting in at least 230 deaths and 196 injured.
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The truck overturned in the village of Sange, near the Congo-Burundi border.[2] Mende Omalanga, the Democratic Republic of Congo's Minister of Communications, claimed that the truck was trying to overtake a bus.[1] A local police officer reported that the driver was traveling at an "excessive speed".[2]
An explosion occurred as villagers "attempted to collect the oil" that was spilling from the overturned vehicle.[1] Omalanga said that one local resident was smoking a cigarette, a spark from which ignited the fuel.[1] Many mud and grass huts were destroyed in the subsequent fire.[5][6]
Among the dead were 36 women and 61 children.[7] Some of the injured have severe burn wounds.[8] A medical source said that the local hospitals "do not have necessary logistical materials to treat those who are seriously injured".[9]
The United Nations are investigating the explosion.[10] It was initially reported that five of the dead were United Nations peacekeepers,[1] but this was reported later as being incorrect.[2]