A fuel tanker crashed head-on with another truck in Nigeria, resulting in an explosion that k!lled at least 48 people, according to the country’s emergency response organisation.
The tanker was also carrying livestock in the Agaie district of north-central Niger state, and at least 50 of them were b_rned alive, according to Abdullahi Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.
He also stated that search and rescue operations were underway at the scene of the tragedy.
Baba-Arab initially stated that 30 bodies had been discovered, but in a later announcement, an additional 18 bodies of victims who had been charred to de@th in the crash were discovered. He stated that the deceased had been given a mass burial.
Mohammed Bago, the governor of Niger state, advised inhabitants in the affected area should be calm and urged drivers to “always be cautious and abide by road traffic regulations to safeguard lives and property”.
In the absence of an adequate train system to transport cargo, de@dly truck accidents are widespread on most main roads in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
According to Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps, 1,531 gasoline tanker crashes occurred in 2020, k!lling 535 people and inj_ring 1,142 others.
