At least 70 people have been killed in an explosion while collecting petrol from a tanker in Nigeria. The incident took place on Saturday morning in the Dikko area on the road connecting the capital Abuja to the northern city of Kaduna.
Kumar Sukwam, head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger state, said the tanker crashed in the Dikko area around 10am on Saturday. It contained 60,000 litres of petrol. So far, 70 people have been killed in the blast.
After the accident, people were collecting fuel from the tanker when the explosion occurred. Kumar Sukwam said most of the victims were burnt to such a extent that they could not be identified. They are currently working to clean up the area.
Nigeria is facing a severe economic crisis. In the last 18 months, the price of fuel oil in the country has increased five times. Due to this price hike, many people risked their lives to collect fuel from the accidental tanker.
Niger Governor Umaru Bago said in a statement that the explosion was “worrying, heartbreaking and unfortunate”. He also said that along with the dead, the bodies of many others were burnt to varying degrees.
Nigeria is the most populous country in North Africa. In October, more than 170 people were killed in a similar incident in Jigawa state.