DEATH TOLL FROM FUEL DEPOT EXPLOSION RISES TO 153

JUBA, OCTOBER 20 /SRNA/ – At least 153 people were killed when a fuel depot in Abyei, a disputed border region claimed by Sudan and South Sudan, exploded in a drone attack.

"So far, we have recorded 153 deaths, and the toll is not final because the fire is still burning," Information Minister Johana Akol Ngor said.

Ngor blamed the Sudanese army for the attack on the Amiet market, where the fuel depot was also hit, the Associated Press reported.

The motive for the attack is unknown.

South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also blamed the Sudanese army, saying several locations within the market had been targeted, resulting in civilian casualties and extensive material damage.

The status of the oil-rich Abyei region remained unresolved under the 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war.

The dispute over the region remained unresolved even after South Sudan gained independence in 2011.