Nigeria: Fuel Tanker Blast Kills At Least 70 In Suleja

At least 70 people have been confirmed dead and more injured in Niger State in northern Nigeria on Saturday when a petrol tanker overturned, spilled fuel and later exploded.

According to report, the unfortunate incident has displaced many residents, and many had to flee for their lives.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) confirmed the incident in a statement issued earlier today.

The accident in Niger state follows a similar blast in Jigawa state last October that killed 147 people, one of the worst tragedies in Africa’s most populous nation.

FRSC sector commander for Niger State, Kumar Tsukwam, said most of the victims were impoverished local residents who had rushed to scoop up the spilled petrol after the truck had overturned.

“Large crowd of people gathered to scoop fuel despite concerted efforts to stop them,” Tsukwam said in a statement.

“Suddenly, the tanker burst into flames, engulfing another tanker,” he narrated.

Earlier FRSC announced that 60 corpses had been recovered from the scene but the figure has jumped to 70 dead bodies.

Firefighters managed to put out the fire.

In a separate statement, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), explained that the explosion occurred when one oil tanker collided with another tanker and later attempted to transfer the oil.

While this was going on, the petrol came into contact with a generator used to complete the transfer, resulting in an explosion that killed and injured many.

Meanwhile, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has expressed shock over the tanker explosion.

The Governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, described the incident as “worrisome, heartbreaking and unfortunate”.

While sympathising with the families of the victims of the explosion and the repose of lives of the deceased, the Governor cautioned the people to always be responsible and give priority to their safety just as he directed all the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to do what is necessary while urging the Security Agents to also ensure security in the area.

The price of petrol in Nigeria has soared more than 400% since President Bola Tinubu scrapped a decades-old subsidy when he assumed office in May 2023

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com