At least 94 people have been killed and dozens more injured following a fuel tanker explosion in northwestern Nigeria, police confirmed on Wednesday.
Police spokesman, Lawan Adamu, told Petroleum Price that the explosion occurred along the Kano-Hadejia expressway in the Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
Adamu explained that the incident took place on Tuesday night when a fuel-laden truck overturned, triggering a massive fire that burned until 3:15 a.m. (0215GMT) on Wednesday.
“The residents were scooping fuel from the overturned tanker when the explosion occurred, sparking a massive inferno that killed 94 people on the spot,” DSP Adamu explained.
Another 50 people were severely injured and rushed to Ringim and Hadejia General Hospitals for treatment.
Authorities have begun mass burials for the victims, with the community in mourning.
A survivor, Ibrahim Hafiz, who narrowly escaped, shared, “The fire spread so fast, people were running helter-skelter, but some died while screaming for help.”
Another resident mentioned that the truck had tipped over and spilled its contents before locals rushed to the scene to collect the fuel. The high number of casualties was a result of this dangerous action near the overturned truck.
