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More than 100 people have been killed in Nigeria as people rushed to pick up gasoline from a tanker that capsized and caught fire, police said Wednesday, as Nigerians struggle with rising fuel prices.
The incident was the latest tanker explosion to occur in Nigeria, where gasoline and other fuels are transported long distances by truck, often on poorly maintained roads.
The accident occurred late Tuesday in Mazia town in northern Jigawa state, about 600 kilometers from the capital Abuja. Police spokesman Lawal Sisu Adamu said the tanker was transporting fuel from Kano, Nigeria’s economic capital, to Yobe state via Jigawa when the driver “lost control” of the tanker.
Adam said police cordoned off the area after the accident but were quickly overwhelmed by crowds rushing to collect the spilled fuel. Videos posted on social media showed the violent inferno. The explosion also injured dozens of people.
Fuel prices have risen nearly fivefold in the past year following the government’s decision to cut fuel subsidies and the depreciation of the naira currency, which has lost about 70% of its value against the dollar since June.
Nigeria’s state-run oil company last week increased gasoline prices by more than 15%, the second increase in less than a month, and officially ended a costly subsidy program.
In the absence of an efficient rail network to transport goods across vast countries, fuel is typically transported over long distances overland in tankers. The country’s road network is underdeveloped and patchy in many areas, and traffic rules are not strictly followed or enforced.
Fuel transportation accidents are common in Africa’s most populous country, and Nigerians often rush to the scene to retrieve buckets or other containers of fuel from tankers.
Last month, around 60 people were killed when a fuel tanker and a truck carrying passengers and livestock collided in north-central Niger state. Nigeria’s Road Safety Authority reported that more than 5,000 people died in road accidents last year, but the World Health Organization estimates the number to be closer to 40,000, claiming many accidents are not reported to authorities. I am doing it.
According to WHO data, Africa accounts for 19% of road fatalities, despite having 15% of the world’s population and only 3% of the world’s car fleet.
Sani Umar, a resident who fled the fire, told local TV station Channels that the incident was “horrifying”.
Umar added: “People were running in all directions screaming for help. The fire spread so quickly that many were unable to escape.”
