ABUJA: More than 140 people, including children, were killed and dozens injured in Nigeria after an overturned gasoline tanker exploded into flames as they tried to collect fuel falling from the vehicle, emergency services said on Wednesday. The accident occurred at midnight in the town of Majiya, Jigawa state, when the driver of the tanker lost control of the vehicle while traveling on a road, police spokesman Lawan Adam said. Residents rushed to the scene and were collecting fuel, “causing a massive inferno,” he said.
“About 140 people were buried in mass graves, in addition to people buried elsewhere,” Nura Abdullahi, head of the National Emergency Management Agency in the region, told The Associated Press. Residents of Majiya were in mourning on Wednesday as they held a mass burial for the victims. Most of the bodies were unrecognizable, emergency services said.
Fatal tanker truck accidents are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where traffic rules are not strictly enforced in many places and an efficient rail system to transport cargo is lacking. It is also common for people to recover fuel in glasses and buckets to take home after these types of accidents. The practice has become more common due to skyrocketing fuel prices, which have tripled since early last year when the government ended costly gas subsidies.
The driver involved in the accident had traveled about 110 kilometers (68 miles) from neighboring Kano state, police said. The Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency initially estimated the death toll at 105, including those who died while being treated in hospitals. Most of the other victims were “reduced to ashes” at the crash site, said Dr. Haruna Mairiga, head of Jigawa’s emergency services.
“If they had known (of the danger), they would not have gone to look for (the fuel),” Mairiga said. He said emergency services arrived at the scene several hours after the accident. Resident Sani Umar told local television channels that the fire “spread so quickly that many were unable to escape.” “People were running in all directions, screaming for help,” Umar said.
“This is a heartbreaking moment for all of us,” said state police commissioner Ahmadu Abdullahi.
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