Benin burning waste explosion kills many, injures hundreds

An explosion at a waste burning site in Benin killed several people and injured hundreds more, the district chief of the town where it happened said on Friday. The blast struck late on Thursday as a crowd of people sifted through piles of expired food that had been dumped in Tori, a town about 40 kms (25 miles) northwest of the capital Cotonou, district chief Bruno Houssou told Reuters by telephone. In much of West Africa safety standards on industrial and waste management sites is poor.