Johannesburg – More than 90 people were killed and 50 others injured on Tuesday evening when a fuel tanker crashed and then exploded in Nigeria, local officials said. A police spokesman said the driver lost control of the vehicle in Majiya town, near the northern city of Kano.
A mass funeral for the accident victims was to be held on Wednesday morning. The injured were treated at Ringim General Hospital, not far from the crash site.
Eyewitnesses said the casualty numbers were so high because, as often happens in accidents involving tanker trucks, locals arrived quickly hoping to catch some of the spilled fuel.
“The residents were scooping fuel from the overturned tanker when the explosion occurred, causing a massive fire that killed 94 people on the spot,” police spokesman Lawan Adam told The Associated Press.
Last month, 48 people were killed when fuel was used tanker truck collided with a truck loaded with people and livestock. Both people and livestock were burned alive in the disaster.
Truck accidents are common in Nigeria, often due to the poor condition of the country’s roads.
The World Health Organization, in a 2018 report, estimated the number of deaths from road accidents in the country at around 40,000 per year.
Nigerians have been facing a cost of living crisis since a national fuel subsidy was abolished in May 2023, sending prices soaring. In 2022, about 40% of the country’s revenue was spent on fuel subsidies for residents.
Economists say Nigeria is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, with last week seeing the second huge increase in fuel prices in a month.
President Bola Timbu was elected last year on promises to boost the economy and attract foreign investment.
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