On Thursday morning I received this message from Paula Rondon, a returned SLM who is doing graduate studies in England:
"I just read this news about an oil tanker explosion in South Sudan: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Paula didn't serve in South Sudan herself, but she has taken a keen interest in all the SLMs and particularly in South Sudan, given the volatile situation there.
It was the first we in New Rochelle had heard about the incident, and it took us about a day to get some concrete news--specifically from our American SLM Ariel Zarate (Oak Lawn, Ill.), who's been serving at the mission in Maridi since the fall of 2013. She sent this e-mail to New Rochelle this morning:
"So I don't know what you have heard about the incident here but
i'll update you and then feel free to pass this along to anyone else. If
you have more specific questions I will try to answer them the best I
can.
"First of all, we are all ok and thank God
none of our children have been killed or injured. We have had many of
their family members injured however. This includes the cousin of our
driver and the cousins of two of our girls that board with us so keep
them also in your prayers.
"So on Wednesday around 3 pm
the first people started arriving to the hospital. At first it seemed
like a minor but tragic incident. Within half an hour truckloads of burn
victims were being rushed to our hospital. The county hospital has been
closed due to renewed tensions in Maridi. We filled the beds and later
the veranda covered with tarps to accommodate the victims. We later
learned that two other hospitals had people taken there but ours
received the most. Eventually the hospital was broken open and local
medical students along with the local doctor took over care. We have
almost totally run out of medicines and bandages and there was little to
nothing else we could do to aid them. They remain in the county
hospital at this point.
"We received over 50 burn victims
suffering from 2nd to 3rd degree burns. Many have lost all of their skin
on various parts of their bodies with many losing all of the skin on
their entire body. It was estimated about 60 bodies were recovered with
more being found. Many were burned beyond recognition with more still
being burned to death immediately into ashes. It is still unclear as to
what caused the fire to start. The truck was traveling and tipped over.
The locals then came to steal the gasoline when the fire started. It
appears that the truck had been tipped and the fuel being stolen for a
few hours before the firs started. There are plenty of rumors but
nothing confirmed. At this point the Red Cross has sent burn kits and
are starting to evacuate serious cases. The media attention will
hopefully help to get some additional aid. The greater problem of course
is poor roads, lack of adequate police and municipal services and the
isolation that both of those cause. None of which we can solve at this
point.
"Pray for the families and the victims and for our leaders to make better decisions for our people."
We have 4 SLMs in South Sudan right now--Ariel, Kevin Kho in Juba for a year now, and Taylor McColgan and Catherine McNeal just arrived in Wau. 2 more, Colleen Burns and Manny Mendez, will leave N.Y. on Monday to help inaugurate a new SDB mission at Morobo, which is on the border with Uganda.
You can follow Kevin at http://wearecalledtoserve.blogspot.com/
Taylor at https://actionsgreaterthanwords.wordpress.com
Catherine at http://a-love-without-limits.blogspot.com
Colleen at https://missionmorobo.wordpress.com/
Please follow all of them--all of our SLMs, in fact, and the people whom they're serving--with your prayers.
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