Niger State tanker explosion kills and injures people gathering fuel

A petrol tanker exploded on Tuesday in Essa on the Bida-Agaie Road in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State, killing dozens and injuring others after local residents who had gathered to scoop spilled fuel were caught in the blast, officials said. The vehicle fell on the busy corridor at about 11:00 a.m., and witnesses and responders said people who had lined up to collect the leaking petrol were near the tanker when it ignited.

Casualty figures vary. Police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said in a statement that at least 31 people were killed and 17 injured and taken to nearby hospitals. Niger State Emergency Management Agency Director General Abdullahi Baba Arah told local responders that 24 people had been confirmed dead and about 40 were severely burned and receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre in Bida. Federal Road Safety Corps Sector Commander Aishatu Saadu said the exact death toll was not yet certain and that her personnel were conducting rescue operations at the scene.

An eyewitness and union officials said the tanker had been travelling from Lagos toward northern Nigeria when it fell on the stretch between Essan and Badeggi communities. Farouk Mohammed Kawo,...