A devastating collision between a fuel tanker and another truck in Nigeria’s north-central Niger state on Sunday led to a deadly explosion that claimed over 50 lives, according to the country’s emergency services.
The tanker, which was also transporting cattle, crashed in the Agaie area, resulting in the deaths of at least 50 animals that were burned in the fire, reported Abdullahi Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.
Ongoing search and rescue operations continued at the accident site, Baba-Arab said. Initially, the remains of 30 people were recovered, but subsequent searches uncovered an additional 18 victims who were burned beyond recognition. All the deceased were laid to rest in a mass burial, he confirmed.
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Niger state governor, Mohammed Bago, urged residents to remain calm and appealed to motorists to exercise caution and strictly follow road safety rules to prevent further tragedies.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, regularly experiences fatal truck accidents on its major highways, largely due to the lack of a reliable railway system for transporting goods. Data from Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps indicates that in 2020, there were 1,531 tanker accidents, which resulted in 535 deaths and 1,142 injuries.
