Haiti truck blast death toll rises to 75 as doctors scramble to treat wounded

People stand next to the remains of damaged buildings after a fuel truck exploded killing dozens of people amid reports that nearby residents had attempted to take fuel from the vehicle before it exploded, in Cap Haitien, Haiti December 15, 2021. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti (Reuters) -The death toll from a fuel truck explosion in Haiti rose to 75 on Wednesday as doctors scrambled to treat the wounded from an incident that officials say was made more deadly by residents approaching the vehicle in a desperate search for fuel.

Rescue workers recovered 61 bodies at the site of the accident, which took place late on Monday in Haiti's second-largest city of Cap-Haitien, while a director of the city's main hospital said a further 14 people had died while being treated for wounds.