A fuel tanker collided head-on with another truck in Nigeria on Sunday, triggering an explosion that claimed the lives of over 50 people, according to the country’s emergency response officials.
The tanker, which was also transporting cattle, burst into flames in the Agaie area of Niger state, leaving over 50 animals burned to death, stated Abdullahi Baba-Arab, Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.
“Search and rescue efforts are still ongoing at the accident site,” Baba-Arab added. Initially, 30 bodies were recovered, but a later update confirmed that 18 more victims, who were burned beyond recognition, had been found.
All the victims were given a mass burial.
Niger state governor, Mohammed Bago, urged residents to remain calm and called on drivers to “exercise caution and adhere to road traffic regulations to protect lives and property.”
With Nigeria lacking an efficient railway system to transport goods, deadly truck accidents are frequent on the country’s major highways.
In 2020 alone, Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps recorded 1,531 gasoline tanker crashes, resulting in 535 deaths and 1,142 injuries.
Source-CNN
