A fuel tanker exploded after flipping over in central Nigeria on Saturday, killing 70 people who had scrambled to take the fuel, which has rocketed in price amid an economic crisis.
“The death toll stands at 70 so far,” Kumar Tsukwam, the head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger State, said.
Tsukwam said a truck carrying 60,000 litres of gasoline had an accident about 10.00am (0900 GMT) at the Dikko junction on the road linking the federal capital Abuja to the northern city of Kaduna.
“Most of the victims were burnt beyond recognition,” Tsukwam said. “We are at the scene to clear things up.”
An FSRC statement said: a “large crowd of people gathered to scoop the fuel” when “suddenly the tanker burst into flames, engulfing another tanker”.
“So far 60 corpses recovered from scene, the victims are mostly scavengers,” it said.
Last year, shortly after his election, President Bola Tinubu abolished a fuel subsidy, sending prices of essentials and other goods soaring, triggering protests.
The price of gasoline has increased fivefold in 18 months, leading many to risk their lives to recover fuel during tanker truck accidents, which are common in Africa’s most populous country.
Niger state governor Umaru Bago said in a statement that the explosion was “worrisome, heartbreaking and unfortunate”.
He said an undisclosed number of people also experienced various degrees of burns.
In October, more than 170 people died in a similar incident in Jigawa State, in northern Nigeria.
In 2020, the FRSC listed 1,531 fuel tanker accidents which claimed more than 535 lives.
