Nigeria fuel tanker explosion kills at least 94, injures dozens

Police say explosion on Jigawa State expressway happened as people rushed to the overturned vehicle to collect fuel.

At least 94 people have been killed and about 50 others wounded after an overturned fuel tanker exploded in northwestern Nigeria, according to police.

The overnight explosion took place on an expressway in Jigawa State as people rushed to the vehicle to collect the fuel, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

“We have so far confirmed 94 people dead,” Lawan Shiisu Adam said, warning the death toll could rise.

The tanker had veered to avoid colliding with a truck in the town of Majia, the spokesman said.

Following the crash, residents crowded around the vehicle, which likely increased the number of casualties, he added.

“The residents were scooping up fuel from the overturned tanker when the explosion occurred, sparking a massive inferno that killed 94 people on the spot,” Adam told The Associated Press news agency.

Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed a massive fire stretching across the entire area, with what appeared to be bodies littered at the scene.

The fire burned into the early hours of Wednesday.

The wounded were taken to local hospitals in Ringim and Hadejia towns where they were being treated, Adam said.

Deadly truck accidents are common along most of the main roads in Nigeria, with experts attributing many of them to reckless driving, poor road conditions and ill-maintained vehicles.

Last month, at least 48 people were killed in an explosion after a fuel tanker collided with another truck in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State.

In 2020 alone, there were 1,531 petrol tanker crashes resulting in 535 deaths and injuries to 1,142 people, according to Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps.

Tanker explosions can result in mass casualties as residents often look to siphon off fuel following accidents. Fuel has also become an even more precious commodity as Nigeria suffers its worst economic crisis in a generation.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company in early September increased the price of petrol by at least 39 percent, the second steep hike in more than a year.