KANO, OCT 16 – A fuel tanker explosion in northern Nigeria has killed nearly 100 people and injured 50 others, police said today.
Most of the victims were trying to collect fuel spilled on the road after the tanker overturned in northern Jigawa state late yesterday, Lawan police spokesman Shiisu Adam told AFP.
The fuel tanker skidded while trying to avoid colliding with a lorry in the town of Majia, he said.
“We have so far confirmed 94 people dead and about 50 injured,” he said while warning that the death toll may rise.
After the accident, residents gathered around the vehicle, collecting fuel that had spilled on the road and in the drain, Adam said.
He said residents ‘charged’ officers who tried to stop them.
The Nigerian Medical Association has urged doctors to rush to nearby emergency rooms to help patients who are coming in droves.
Fuel tanker explosions are common in Africa’s most populous country, where roads are poorly maintained and residents often look for opportunities to collect fuel after accidents.
Fuel is now a more valuable commodity as Nigeria experiences its worst economic crisis in a generation.
Petrol prices have soared fivefold since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu withdrew subsidies last year and supply is often in short supply.
Desperation intensified last week after the country’s oil company raised prices for the second time in more than a month.
Accidents involving fuel tankers are frequent in the country, with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) recording 1,531 in 2020, resulting in 535 deaths. – AFP
