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At least 39 people have been killed in an oil tanker explosion in Nigeria’s central Niger state after the vehicle skidded off the road and crashed, spilling fuel, an aid official told the BBC.
Another 60 people with varying degrees of injuries are currently being treated in hospital, said Abdullahi Baba Ara, head of Niger’s emergency service.
Villagers rushed to collect fuel from the overturned tank, which suddenly exploded, causing a huge fire that engulfed them.
Tanker explosions are a recurring tragedy in Nigeria, despite repeated warnings about the dangers of collecting spilled fuel.
The intense blaze burned many victims beyond recognition, and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The incident occurred near Essan and Badeggi communities along Bida-Agaie road in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.
The governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umaru Bago, sent his condolences to the people, describing the incident as “worrisome, unfortunate and deplorable”.
“(It) is disheartening how people continue to approach a fallen tanker to scoop up its contents” despite several awareness campaigns, its chief press secretary Bologi Ibrahim said in a statement.
The tanker carrying petroleum products from Lagos in southern Nigeria to the north is said to have crashed due to the bad condition of the road.
Bad road conditions are a major factor in road accidents in the country.
In October last year, a fuel tanker explosion killed one 153 people in Jigawa State, northwestern Nigeria.
In January this year, a truck carrying about 60,000 liters of petrol overturned near Suleja, also in Niger state, killing at least 86 people and injuring nearly 70 others.
