NIGER:
An explosion after an oil tanker overturned in northern Nigeria killed 70 people and injured many more.
According to a foreign news agency report, Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said in a statement that a tanker loaded with gasoline overturned in the Niger State region, causing oil to spill and an explosion.
The National Emergency Management Authority said in a statement that according to reports received so far, 70 bodies have been recovered, 56 people have been injured and more than 15 shops have been destroyed.
The statement said that the injured have been shifted to the hospital for treatment and that rescue operations are underway at the scene and bodies are being recovered.
The FRSC sector commander for Niger State, Kumar Tsokowam, said that the majority of the dead were people who had come to collect the spilled oil after the tanker overturned.
He said that despite every attempt to stop the citizens, a large number of people had gathered to collect the oil, and in such a situation, there was a sudden explosion and flames rose and engulfed the second tanker.
Sector Commander Kumar Tsukwam had initially said that 60 bodies have been recovered so far and firefighters have managed to control the fire.
It should be noted that in October, a similar explosion occurred in Jigawa state, where 147 people were killed and it was described as one of the worst accidents to occur in African countries.
Such tragic accidents have become common in Nigeria, the largest oil-producing country in Africa, where people are living below the poverty line due to inflation, and dozens of people lose their lives in such accidents.
Despite being rich in oil, petrol prices in Nigeria have risen by 400% since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023, ending years of subsidies.
Balogi Ibrahim, a spokesman for the governor of Niger State, said that when petrol tanker accidents occur, the first priority should be the safety of citizens.
Note= This Contact Copy Express News