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| More than 70 killed, dozens injured after fuel tanker explosion | Photo: Taken from Google Maps |
At least 70 people have been killed in an explosion in Nigeria while collecting petrol from a crashed fuel tanker. The incident took place on Saturday morning in the Dikko area of the road linking the country's capital Abuja to the northern city of Kaduna.
The head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger State, Nigeria, Kumar Sukwam, said the tanker, which was carrying 60,000 liters of petrol, derailed at around 10am on Saturday in the Dikko area. The explosion has killed 70 people so far.
The explosion occurred when people were collecting fuel from the tanker after the accident. Kumar Sukwam said that most of the bodies of the deceased were burned beyond recognition. They are currently cleaning the scene.
Nigeria is in a severe economic crisis. In the past 18 months, the price of fuel has increased fivefold. This price increase has prompted many people to risk their lives to collect fuel from the tanker that crashed.
In a statement after the tanker explosion, Niger's governor, Umaru Bago, called the explosion "worrying, heartbreaking and unfortunate." He added that many others were burned to varying degrees in addition to the dead.
Nigeria, the most populous country in North Africa, was hit by a similar incident in Jigawa state in October, killing more than 170 people.