World News

Six people die after a fuel tank explosion in Nigeria

Six people died on Tuesday after a fuel tanker exploded in Lapai Local Area of Niger State in Nigeria. In a statement, Mary Noel-Barge, the spokesperson of the Niger State governor, Abubakar Bello, said that the victims were burnt beyond recognition.

Noel-Barge said others were injured and were receiving treatment in a hospital. She added that seven trucks were also razed in the accident.

She said the driver of the doomed vehicle was trying to manoeuvre a bad portion of the road, before colliding with parked trucks.

“The explosion was said to have occurred in a gridlock occasioned by the deplorable condition of the Federal Road and about seven trucks were said to have been affected including a petrol tanker in the explosion,” she said.

She said the state government dispatched officials of the state emergency management agency to provide emergency needs for the victims. The governor expressed sympathy with the victims and family members of those affected in the explosion.

In a similar incident in September, at least 28 people were killed when a gas tanker exploded in the central Nigerian state of Kogi and started a blaze, a road safety agency official said.

In a statement, state governor Yahaya Bello said the explosion led to loss of lives and destroyed many vehicles, properties and other valuables in the tanker fire.

Fuel tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, where crude supplies are often transported by road. According to Premium Times, in 2019, at least 50 people died, and 101 people were injured after an overturned tanker exploded in central Nigeria.

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Source: IOL