By Ahmed Kingimi
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) -At least 60 people were killed and more injured in northern Nigeria on Saturday when a petrol tanker truck overturned, spilling fuel that exploded, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said.
The accident in Niger state follows a similar blast in Jigawa state last October that killed 147 people, one of the worst such tragedies in Africa’s most populous nation.
Kumar Tsukwam, FRSC sector commander for Niger state, said most of the victims were impoverished local residents who had rushed to scoop up the spilled petrol after the truck overturned.
“Large crowd of people gathered to scoop fuel despite concerted efforts to stop them,” Tsukwam said in a statement.
“Suddenly, the tanker burst into flames, engulfing another tanker. So far 60 corpses (have been) recovered from the scene.”
Tsukwam said firefighters had managed to put out the fire.
Such accidents have become common in Africa’s largest oil producer, killing dozens of people in the country grappling with its worst cost of living crisis in a generation.
The price of petrol in Nigeria has soared more than 400% since President Bola Tinubu scrapped a decades-old subsidy when he came into office in May 2023.
Bologi Ibrahim, spokesperson to Niger state governor residents should give priority to their safety when petrol tanker trucks are involved in accidents.
(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi; writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; editing by Mark Heinrich and Tomasz Janowski)
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