At least 147 people have been confirmed dead following a petrol tanker explosion in Majiya town, in Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
Local authorities said the Tanker crashed late on Tuesday night after the driver lost control on the Kano-Hadejia expressway near the town of Majiya in Jigawa state. It then exploded while onlookers were scooping spilt fuel with cups and buckets.
Jigawa police command spokesperson, Shi’isu Adam said “People gathered around the accident scene, to scoop spilled fuel, that is the reason for the mass casualty.”
Jigawa state emergency services put the death toll at 147. Dozens more were seriously wounded.
Adam said a warning from officials not to approach the vehicle went unheeded and that the crowd overwhelmed security personnel.
It was also gathered that some injured persons have also been taken to Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kudu due to the limited number of beds at the Ringim General Hospital.
Preparations are currently being made to give the dead persons a mass burial given that the majority were burnt beyond recognition.
Tanker explosions are common in Nigeria, because road transport is the most popular form of conveying cargo across a country with inadequate rail infrastructure and a chain of underused airports. According to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, several hundred spills happen nationwide each year, even outside the hotspots of oil-producing areas in the Niger delta.
Fuel has become a commodity coveted almost as much as food in poorer areas of Africa’s most populous nation, where the economy is in its worst state in a generation. Fuel prices have tripled since the start of last year, when the government removed a fuel subsidy, exacerbating a cost of living crisis. Desperation rose further last week after the state oil company raised prices for the second time in just over a month.
Despite the risks, increasing numbers of people are being drawn to the scene of tanker crashes to recover fuel that they either use at home or sell.
Minister of state petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, has directed the regulatory agency to “promptly commence a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate event”.
He said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and we wish them a swift and full recovery.”
