At least 86 people were killed in central Nigeria on Saturday when a fuel tanker that had overturned burst into flames, burning those who had rushed to collect the gasoline. The price of gasoline has increased fivefold in 18 months, leading many to risk their lives to recover fuel during tanker truck accidents which authorities say are common in Nigeria.
The incident happened around 10 am on Saturday at Dikko Junction on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in Gurara local government area of Niger State.
The tanker exploded and many of the residents who were scooping fuel when it fell were burnt to death while those who were not so close to the tanker escaped with injuries.
“The final death toll from the tanker explosion is 86,” said Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesman for the Niger state’s emergency management agency.
“We buried 86 burnt corpses between 12:00 pm yesterday to 2:00 am of today,” he said, updating an earlier toll of 70.
“It took us 14 hours to bury the bodies because we couldn’t get excavators and had to get locals to dig the mass grave manually,” Husseini said on Sunday.
He said 52 other people suffered “severe burns from the explosion”.
The blast struck at the Dikko junction on the road linking the federal capital Abuja to the northern city of Kaduna.
Bologi Ibrahim, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Mohammed Bago, who was on the governor’s entourage to Suleja and Tafa Local Government Areas to inspect the state government’s projects, told a local news outlet that the state governor expressed shock over the incident.
“Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, expresses shock over a tanker explosion that claimed several lives in Dikko junction, around the Abuja-Kaduna expressway,” Ibrahim said in a statement to The Punch newspaper.
“The governor describes the explosion as worrisome, heartbreaking and unfortunate. He specifically sympathises with the families of the victims of the explosion and prays that Allah will repose the souls of the departed and heal the injured. The governor, however, cautioned the people to always be responsible and give priority to their safety.
“He directed all the relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to do what is necessary while urging security agents to ensure security in the area.
“A Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol tanker, was said to have exploded at Dikko junction this morning, after which some residents of the area went to scoop its content.
“Scores were said to have been burnt to death, while several others sustained various degrees of burnt.”
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