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55 Residents Scrambling Fuel From Exploded Tanker Burnt To Death

A tanker explosion in Nigeria’s Niger State has resulted in the deaths of at least 55 people. The victims were attempting to collect fuel spilled from the crashed vehicle, marking the latest incident involving the risky transportation of petroleum products in the country.

The tragedy occurred as residents rushed to gather petrol spilled from the tanker, which had crashed on the Dikko-Maje road in Suleja, in the northern part of the country.

Officials from federal and state emergency rescue agencies confirmed that rescue operations were ongoing Saturday evening, with hundreds of injured individuals being transported to hospitals.

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Abdullahi Baba-Arah, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema), said that the explosion took place at approximately 9 a.m. Kumar Tsukwam, Federal Road Safety Commander (FRSC) in Niger, explained that after the loaded petrol tanker crashed, people began scooping the spilled fuel, which subsequently ignited into a large fire. Tsukwam stated that those collecting the fuel were engulfed by the flames, and many others who rushed to the scene to help were also injured.

He confirmed that 55 people had died from burns, with dozens more rushed to hospitals. According to Baba-Arah, the spilled petrol came into contact with an electricity generator, triggering the explosion.

Bologi Ibrahim, chief press secretary of Governor Mohammed Bago, who was accompanying the governor on an inspection tour in Suleja and Tafa Local Government Areas, also confirmed the incident.

This latest tragedy highlights the recurring problem of petrol tanker accidents in Nigeria. Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria relies heavily on imports due to a lack of sufficient domestic refining capacity. While the state-owned Port Harcourt Refinery and the privately owned Dangote Group refinery began operations in October, they remain insufficient to meet the country’s demand. Consequently, most of the imported petrol is transported by road, due to limited alternatives.

Many Nigerians are struggling to access petrol, with prices having increased more than fivefold since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023 and removed subsidies on the product.

In October 2024, another petrol tanker explosion killed 153 people in northern Nigeria, primarily individuals who had rushed to collect fuel from a crashed truck. The Federal Road Safety Corps has reported that in 2020 alone, there were 1,531 petrol tanker crashes resulting in 535 deaths and 1,142 injuries.

Source: The EastAfrican

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