A devastating explosion of a tanker truck left 86 dead this Saturday, January 18, 2025 at Dikko Junction, in the Gurara region of Nigeria, pushing President Bola Tinubu to react firmly to this tragedy. “tragic and avoidable”.
The tragedy occurred on the road linking Kaduna to the capital Abuja.
According to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, the disaster was triggered when residents were trying to salvage gasoline from a wrecked tanker carrying 60,000 liters of fuel.
Contact between the spilled fuel and a generator caused an explosion, also igniting a second tanker truck present on the scene.
Faced with the scale of the tragedy, President Bola Tinubu decreed a series of emergency measures.
“I urge all citizens to exercise caution and avoid approaching accident sites, particularly those involving vehicles carrying fuel, due to their highly explosive nature”he declared via his special adviser on information, Bayo Onanuga.
-Among the measures announced is the launch of a national awareness campaign by the National Orientation Agency.
This initiative aims to alert the population to the dangers associated with recovering fuel from accident sites.
The president also ordered full medical care for the injured.
Niger State Governor Umaru Bago described the explosion as“disturbing, heartbreaking and unfortunate”calling on the population to “always be responsible and give priority to your safety”.
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