Nigeria fuel tanker explosion kills at least 140

At least 140 people have been killed and dozens more wounded after an overturned fuel tanker exploded in northwestern Nigeria, according to police and emergency workers.

The overnight explosion occurred on an expressway in Jigawa state. People then rushed to the vehicle to collect the fuel, police spokesman Lawan Shiisu Adam said on Wednesday (October 16), reports Al Jazeera.

Haruna Mairiga, the head of Jigawa state Emergency Management Agency, put the death toll from the accident at 147. Ninety-seven people were “burned to ashes” at the scene, he told The Associated Press.

Nura Abdullahi, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said “more than 140 people” who died were buried during a mass funeral. He warned the toll was likely to rise further.

Earlier, police said at least 94 people were killed and 50 injured.

The tanker, which had travelled about 110km (68 miles) from neighbouring Kano state, veered to avoid colliding with a truck in the town of Majia, according to police.

Following the crash, residents crowded around the vehicle, which likely increased the number of casualties, Adam said.

“The residents were scooping up fuel from the overturned tanker when the explosion occurred, sparking a massive inferno,” he added.