Nigeria’s emergency agency said the death toll from a weekend gasoline tanker explosion in north central Niger state has risen to 98.
Explosions that kill dozens who converge on crashed tanker trucks to scoop up spilled fuel have been common for years in Nigeria, and the problem is only becoming worse.
The National Emergency Management Agency, or NEMA, said about 50 people sustained burns in Saturday’s tanker explosion in central Nigeria, in addition to those killed.
The victims are currently receiving treatment at local hospitals.
The 60,000-liter fuel tanker crashed in central Niger state, near Abuja, spilling its contents.
Officials said locals rushed to the scene with generators to siphon fuel from the tanker, triggering the explosion.
There is a possibility that the death toll could rise, Hussaini Isah, the National Emergency Management Agency’s head of operation for Niger state, told the Associated Press on Monday.
At least three times in recent months, tanker explosions in Nigeria have caused dozens of deaths.
A similar incident to Saturday’s killed 170 people in northern Jigawa state in October.
In September, another 48 people died trying to scoop up fuel after a tanker collided with a truck full of cattle in Niger state.
The problem starts with frequent road accidents involving tankers. According to Nigeria’s Road Safety Corps, there were about 1,500 tanker accidents in 2020.
