At least 70 people were killed in central Nigeria on Saturday when an overturned tanker truck exploded while they were in the area of the accident, according to road safety services.
The tragedy occurred in Niger State after a tanker carrying 60,000 liters of gasoline crashed at a junction on the road linking the federal capital Abuja to the city of Kaduna, says the Nigeria Road Safety Agency (FRSC), cited by local media.
“The fuel spilled on the ground and a crowd of people gathered to collect the fuel but the tanker suddenly caught fire, engulfing another tanker with it,” explains a note from the FRSC.
-In a statement, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago described the explosion as “worrying, heartbreaking and unfortunate”, urging “people to always be responsible and prioritize their safety.”
Tanker truck accidents are common in Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer. In October, more than 170 people died in the same way in Jigawa state, in the north of Africa’s most populous country.
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