A leaking fuel tanker exploded earlier this week as people gathered to collect the gasoline, leaving more than 40 dead, authorities in Liberia said Thursday.
The blast on Tuesday also injured at least 83 people in the town of Totota in the central part of the West African country, health officials said.
Many of the dead were buried in a mass grave on Wednesday because their remains were unrecognizable, said health official Dr. Cynthia Blapook in Bong County. Health authorities said an exact death toll was difficult to confirm because of how badly the bodies were burned.
Liberian Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor attended the mass funeral.