LAGOS:The death toll from the explosion of a petrol tanker in Nigeria has risen to 86, emergency services reported on Sunday. The tragic incident occurred on Saturday when the tanker, carrying 60,000 liters of gasoline, flipped over on a road in central Nigeria and erupted in flames.
Initially, rescuers reported 70 fatalities, but the figure was later updated. Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesperson for the Niger state’s emergency management agency, shared that 86 bodies were buried between 12:00 pm and 2:00 am due to the intense heat and the challenge of retrieving the bodies. The local community had to manually dig a mass grave, as there were no excavators available.
In addition to the deaths, 52 people sustained severe burns from the explosion. The incident took place at Dikko Junction, along the road connecting Abuja, the federal capital, with the northern city of Kaduna.
The explosion occurred as a large crowd gathered at the scene to collect fuel from the overturned tanker, driven by Nigeriaβs ongoing economic crisis and skyrocketing fuel prices. Dalandi Abdullahi, a survivor, shared that he was burned when a gallon of fuel being carried by a woman exploded and splashed onto him. He is currently receiving treatment for burns to his arms and torso.
