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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – More than 140 people, including children, were killed when a gasoline tanker truck overturned while scooping fuel in Nigeria and burst into flames, emergency services said Wednesday. Dozens more people were injured.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, lacks an efficient rail system for transporting cargo, resulting in frequent fatal tanker accidents. People often use cups or buckets to collect fuel. Fuel prices in particular have tripled since the government ended expensive gas subsidies last year.
The latest accident occurred late at night in Maziya town in northern Jigawa state, when the tanker driver lost control on the highway, police spokesperson Lawan Adamu said. Residents rushed to the scene in anticipation of a “massive inferno.”
Most of the bodies were unidentified, according to emergency services.
“Nearly 140 people were placed in mass graves, apart from those buried elsewhere,” Nura Abdullahi, head of the region's National Emergency Management Agency, told The Associated Press.
Most of the other victims were “burned to ashes” at the scene, said Dr. Haruna Mailiga, head of the Jigawa Ambulance Service.
“If they had known (about the danger), they wouldn’t have gone to get (the fuel),” Mailiga said.
However, resident Sani Umar told local channel TV that the fire spread so quickly that many people were unable to escape. “People were running in all directions screaming for help,” Umar said.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps, there were more than 1,500 accidents involving fuel tankers in Nigeria in 2020, resulting in 535 deaths. Experts say that in many cases, no charges are filed and victims and their families are not compensated.
In September, at least 48 people were killed when a fuel tanker collided with another truck in north-central Nigeria.
The accident has reignited questions about the implementation of safety measures and traffic regulations in the West African country.
Timothy Iwuagwu, president of the Nigeria Association of Safety Professionals, said many tankers were not designed in accordance with international best practices to avoid spills in the event of an accident. Government agencies charged with enforcing safety regulations also often fail to do so, he said.
“Also, there are not enough awareness campaigns and people deliberately do not follow safety measures when such accidents occur,” Iwagwu said.
