At least 48 people died after a fuel tanker collided head-on with another truck in Nigeria, resulting in a massive explosion. The incident occurred on Sunday, in the Agaie area in north-central Niger state of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with more than 220 million residents. The ill-fated tanker collided with an oncoming truck laden with cattle along the Bida-Agaie-Lapai highway, causing the gasoline tanker to explode. As per media reports, two other vehicles-- a crane and a pick-up van-- caught on fire after the accident occurred around 12:30 am (local time).
The tanker was also carrying cattle, at least 50 of which were burned alive, Associated Press reported quoting Abdullahi Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency. As per the official, teams are carrying out search and rescue operations at the site of the incident to recover bodies of more victims believed to have been trapped in the unfortunate vehicles.
Initially, authorities said 30 bodies were found, but in a later statement, they said an additional 18 bodies of victims who were burned to death in the collision were found. As per Baba-Arab, the dead had been given a mass burial.
ALSO READ: Asia's 'Most Powerful' Typhoon Yagi Kills Dozens In Vietnam. Wreaks Havoc In Philippines, China
Meanwhile, the governor of Niger state, Mohammed Bago urged residents of the affected area to remain calm. He also asked commuters to abide by road traffic rules and regulations “to safeguard lives and property”, as per the AP report.
Nigeria lacks an effective railway system to transport cargo, due to which major roads in the country are prone to such fatal truck accidents. In 2020, there were 1,531 gasoline tanker crashes resulting in 535 fatalities and 1,142 injuries, AP reported citing Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps.