Niger State Fuel Tank Explosion Kills Dozens Of People In Nigeria
In the central Niger state of Nigeria, an oil tanker exploded, killing dozens of people as the vehicle went off the road and collapsed, causing petroleum to pour.
A huge inferno engulfed the villagers as they hurried to retrieve fuel from the overturned tanker, which detonated unexpectedly. According to reports, at least 40 individuals were injured to varied degrees, and about 30 people perished.
Many victims were rendered completely incapacitated by the severe fire, and those who were hurt were sent to a local hospital for medical attention.
Despite frequent warnings about the risks of recovering spilled fuel, tanker explosions continue to be a tragedy in Nigeria.
In the Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State, the accident happened close to the Essan and Badeggi communities on the Bida-Agaie route.
A local coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) told the AFP news agency that there were “29 dead and 42 injured” in the disaster, while the Reuters news agency cited Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps agency as reporting that at least 35 people had died.
Officials at Nema told the BBC that while they were investigating the event, they could not know how many people were impacted.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago sent his condolences to the people, describing the incident as “worrisome, unfortunate and pathetic”.
“[It] is disheartening how people have continued to approach a fallen tanker to scoop its contents” despite several awareness campaigns, said a statement by his chief press secretary Bologi Ibrahim.
According to reports, the poor state of the road caused the tanker, which was transporting petroleum products from Lagos in southern Nigeria to the north, to crash.
One of the main causes of traffic accidents in the nation is poor road conditions.
In Jigawa state, in north-western Nigeria, a fuel truck explosion in October of last year claimed 153 lives.
At least 86 people were killed and almost 70 others were injured when a truck carrying roughly 60,000 liters of gasoline crashed in Suleja, also in Niger state, in January of this year.