At least 147 people died in Nigeria when a fuel tanker truck overturned and exploded while they were trying to collect the fuel that was released from the vehicle, emergency services indicated this Wednesday (10/16/2024), while warning that the balance of victims can rise.
The accident occurred on Tuesday night in the town of Majiya, Jigawa state, when the driver lost control of the vehicle while driving on a highway, said police spokesman Lawan Adam. Neighbors went to the scene and collected fuel, “which unleashed a massive inferno,” he added.
Nura Abdullahi, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said that “more than 140 were buried in a mass grave, in addition to others buried elsewhere.” He also maintained that the number of victims is likely to increase.
Tanker explosions are common in Nigeria, where roads are poorly maintained and people try to collect fuel when an accident occurs.
Africa’s most populous country is suffering an acute economic crisis, with inflation of 32.7% year-on-year in September. Furthermore, the price of petrol has increased five-fold since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cut subsidies last year.
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