At least 29 dead and 42 injured in a tanker truck explosion in central Nigeria
At least 29 people were killed and 42 injured as a result of Truck explosion A tanker after a traffic accident in Niger State, central Nigeria, according to what ambulance services reported.
Niger State had previously witnessed similar accidents on a road linking Bida and Ajay.
The local coordinator of the Ambulance Management Agency, Ibrahim Husseini, said: "A truck carrying fuel overturned and they gathered to collect fuel. The truck exploded and caught fire"
Fuel tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, as many roads are not properly maintained, and residents rush to fill up leaked fuel resulting from accidents that often result from excessive speed and non-compliance with traffic laws.
Lifting fuel subsidies
In an attempt to revive the economy, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu lifted fuel subsidies and controls on prices. disbursement when he took office in May 2023.
But his measures sparked a crisis, raising the cost of living in Africa’s most populous country, forcing many to take great risks in order to obtain fuel.
In March, 10 people were killed in a collision on a highway outside the capital, Abuja, after a fuel tanker caught fire.
In In January, at least 98 people were killed in an explosion after they rushed to fill fuel from a tanker that had been involved in an accident in Niger State.
After that accident, Tinubu ordered the launch of a national campaign to raise public awareness about the dangers of filling fuel from overturned tankers.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter
