More than 100 people were killed and 50 others injured, after a gasoline tanker overturned and exploded in Nigeria, police reported on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when dozens of people rushed to collect fuel from the damaged vehicle in Majiya town, Jigawa state, after the driver lost control on a highway close to a nearby university.
Ninety-seven people were “burned to ashes” at the scene while eight others died at the hospital, said Dr. Haruna Mairiga, head of the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency.
The explosion took place just after midnight, according to police spokesperson Lawan Adam. “Residents who heard about the latest accident rushed to the scene and were scooping up fuel, sparking a massive inferno,” Adam said.
Tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where traffic regulations are often poorly enforced and many rely on highways for cargo transport due to a lack of alternative systems, including railways.
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Newsweek has reached out to the Nigeria Police Force for further comment via email.
With Nigeria’s soaring fuel prices, it’s also common for locals to attempt to salvage fuel from accident sites, despite the known risks. In this instance, a tragic combination of factors led to an immense loss of life.
The tanker became a deadly trap for those who had gathered at the scene in hopes of collecting the fuel.
Residents in Majiya town were in mourning while locals held a mass burial for the dead. Most of the bodies were unrecognizable, the emergency services said.
“If they knew (about the danger), they wouldn’t have gone to fetch (the fuel),” said Mairiga, head of the emergency services.
Videos from the area showed a massive fire stretching across the landscape, with what appeared to be bodies scattered at the site of the explosion. The inferno spread rapidly, leaving little chance for people to escape once the fire ignited.
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Such incidents highlight the dangers associated with siphoning fuel in Nigeria, where desperate economic conditions often push people to engage in risky behavior.
Despite warnings from authorities and the government about the hazards, these practices remain prevalent, especially in rural and economically disadvantaged areas.
In this case, the tanker spill became a tragic disaster, adding to the long history of deadly fuel-related accidents in the country. Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the accident and whether any safety violations contributed to the disaster. The fate of the tanker driver remains unclear, while authorities work to piece together the events leading up to the crash.
Resident Sani Umar told reporters how the fire “spread so quickly that many couldn’t escape.”
“People were running in all directions, screaming for help,” Umar said.
“This is a heartbreaking moment for us all,” said state police commissioner Ahmadu Abdullahi.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
