A fuel tanker overturned late on Tuesday in Nigeria’s northern state of Jigawa after the driver lost control of the vehicle, spilling petrol which exploded and killed at least 147 people, police and state emergency services said on Wednesday.
The accident is one of the worst in recent times in Africa’s most populous nation, which is battling with widespread security threats and a cost of living crisis.
Haruna Mairiga, head of Jigawa state emergency services, put the death toll from the accident at 147.
Local police spokesperson Lawan Shiisu Adam said the tanker was travelling from the ancient city of Kano to Yobe State in the north, when the driver lost control near Majia town in Taura local government area, about 530 kilometers (330 miles) north of the capital Abuja, causing it to overturn and spill fuel.
Item 1 of 4 A fuel tanker that overturned after the driver lost control of the vehicle and caused fatalities, according to police and state emergency services, is seen in the middle of the highway, in Majia, Jigawa State, Nigeria, October 16, 2024.REUTERS/Alamin Mohammed
[1/4]A fuel tanker that overturned after the driver lost control of the vehicle and caused fatalities, according to police and state emergency services, is seen in the middle of the highway, in Majia, Jigawa State, Nigeria, October 16, 2024.REUTERS/Alamin Mohammed
Oct 16 (Reuters) – A fuel tanker overturned late on Tuesday in Nigeria’s northern state of Jigawa after the driver lost control of the vehicle, spilling petrol which exploded and killed at least 147 people, police and state emergency services said on Wednesday.
The accident is one of the worst in recent times in Africa’s most populous nation, which is battling with widespread security threats and a cost of living crisis.
Haruna Mairiga, head of Jigawa state emergency services, put the death toll from the accident at 147.
Local police spokesperson Lawan Shiisu Adam said the tanker was travelling from the ancient city of Kano to Yobe State in the north, when the driver lost control near Majia town in Taura local government area, about 530 kilometers (330 miles) north of the capital Abuja, causing it to overturn and spill fuel.
[2/4]A man sits in front of the graves of the recently buried victims, after a fuel tanker crashed and exploded, in Majia, Jigawa State, Nigeria, October 16, 2024.REUTERS/Alamin Mohammed
[3/4]Smoke plumes rise from a large fire after a fuel tanker crashed and exploded, in Majia, Jigawa State, Nigeria, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video released on October 16, 2024….
Adam said that villagers attempted to scoop petrol from the spillage, resulting in a fire that engulfed the area, reportedly leading to many deaths.
[4/4]Smoke plumes rise from a large fire after a fuel tanker crashed and exploded, in Majia, Jigawa State, Nigeria, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video released on October 16, 2024…
Adam added that 50 others were wounded and have been taken to local hospitals, in Ringim and Hadejia towns where they were being treated.
A mass burial was held for the dead on Wednesday, Mairiga said.
Many roads in Nigeria are poorly maintained and riven with potholes, causing accidents that claim dozens of lives every year.
Last month, at least 48 people were killed in north-central Nigeria when a fuel tanker exploded after colliding with another truck carrying travellers and cattle, trapping other vehicles as well in the blaze.
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Additional reporting Hamza Ibrahim in Kano and Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Alexandra Hudson Editing by Peter Graff, Bernadette Baum, Alexandra Hudson
