60 confirmed dead in oil tanker explosion in Niger

About 60 bodies were recovered from the site of a tanker truck explosion in Dikko, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger Stateauthorities said Saturday.

afriLatest Headline reported that many people who were taking petrol from the fallen tanker were burnt to death in the incident.

The tragedy occurred when the tanker loaded with fuelbelonging to HMY Oil and Gas, exploded.

Kumar Tsukwam, Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), gave the update on the accident.

Speaking to our correspondent, Mr. Tsukwam said the tanker, with registration KBG-103-XAX, carried 60,000 liters of petrol from Lagos and was on its way to Gwagwalada in the Federal Capital Territory when the body of the vehicle came loose from the head. causing him to fall.

“The victims were mostly scavengers who gathered to collect fuel despite attempts to stop them,” Tsukwam said. He added that fire from the explosion spread to another tanker, worsening the devastation.

However, the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullah Arah, attributed the explosion to the use of a generator during the transfer of fuel from the downed tanker to another.

Authorities said emergency teams were dispatched to the scene and that investigations into the cause of the explosion were ongoing.

This latest incident highlights the dangers of fuel-related accidents in Nigeria, where illegal collection of petroleum products often results in fatalities.

Dozens of people have been killed in similar incidents in recent years.