A petrol tanker exploded on Tuesday afternoon after skidding off the road near the Essan and Badeggi communities along the Bida-Agaei Road in Niger State, killing 35 people who had gathered to scoop fuel.
The tragic incident caused heavy vehicular traffic on the busy expressway, worsened by the poor condition of the road.
Aishatu Sa’adu, Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Niger Command, confirmed the death toll to reporters. Several injured persons were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Sa’adu noted that the deplorable state of the road also affected the response time of the rescue operation.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago expressed his “deepest condolences” to the people of Essan in the Katcha Local Government Area, where the explosion “claimed many lives and left several others injured.”
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, the governor said several victims had approached the tanker after it overturned, attempting to retrieve its contents before the explosion occurred.
“This is yet another painful, difficult, and tragic incident for the people and the state government,” Governor Bago stated.
The Chairman of the Niger State Tanker Drivers’ Association, Farouk Mohammed Kawo, described the tragedy as “devastating and avoidable,” according to a report by Channels Television.
Kawo added that the tanker was transporting petrol from Lagos to northern Nigeria when it crashed, noting that about 30 accidents have been recorded on the same route in October alone — a situation he attributed to the “deplorable state of the road.”
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