Petrol tanker explosion in northern Nigeria kills at least 147 people attempting to salvage fuel

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Petrol tanker explosion in northern Nigeria kills at least 147 people attempting to salvage fuel

时间：2024-10-17 10:11 来源：未知作者：admin 阅读：次

In short:

A fuel tanker overturned and exploded in northern Nigeria on Wednesday, local time, killing at least 147 people and injuring 50 others.

The explosion occurred when people rushed to try and scoop up fuel from the vehicle.

It was said to be one of the deadliest tanker accidents in the west African nation in recent times.

At least 147 people, including children, have been killed in Nigeria after an overturned petrol tanker truck exploded in flames while they tried to scoop up fuel.

The incident occurred in Majiya town in the northern state of Jigawa, about 530 kilometres north of the capital Abuja, on Wednesday, local time.

Head of Jigawa's emergency services Haruna Mairiga put the death toll at 147 and said a further 50 injured people were being treated in hospitals.

In Nigeria, flammable materials are often transported in trucks that are not spillage-proof.

Local police spokesperson Lawan Shiisu Adam said the tanker was travelling from the ancient city of Kano to Yobe State in the north, when the driver lost control near Majiya town, causing it to overturn and spill fuel.

He said villagers attempted to scoop petrol from the spillage, resulting in a fire that engulfed the area.

Residents rushed to the scene before the "massive inferno".

People carry the body of a victim of a tanker explosion for burial in Majiya town.

Deadly tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, which lacks an efficient railway system to transport cargo, but the accident is one of the worst in recent times.

People often salvage fuel with cups and buckets — especially because of soaring fuel prices, which have tripled since the government ended costly gas subsidies last year.

Mass burial for victims

Mr Mairiga said most of the bodies were unrecognisable after being "burned to ashes" at the scene.

"If they knew (about the danger), they wouldn't have gone to fetch (the fuel)," he said.

The head of the National Emergency Management Agency in the region, Nura Abdullahi, told The Associated Press close to 140 people were buried in a mass grave on Wednesday, while the remaining few were buried in other places.

Most of the victims were buried in a mass grave.

More than 1,500 accidents involving fuel tankers occurred in Nigeria in 2020, resulting in 535 deaths, according to Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps.

At least 48 people were killed in September when a fuel tanker collided with another truck in north-central Nigeria.

The latest accident revived questions about the implementation of safety measures and traffic regulations in the West African country.

Many tankers are not designed according to international best practices to avoid spillage during accidents, said Timothy Iwuagwu, president of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria. The agencies charged with enforcing safety regulations also often fail to do so, he said.

"There are also not enough awareness campaigns, (and) people are not wilfully compliant" with safety measures when such accidents happen, Mr Iwuagwu said.

AP/Reuters

By：https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-17/nigeria-tanker-explosion-kills-hundreds/104482140

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