70 dead after tanker truck explodes in Nigeria

At least 70 people were killed and an unknown number of people suffered burns of varying degrees when a tanker truck exploded in central Nigeria, the Road Safety Agency has reported. The incident occurred at Dikko Junction on the Abuja-Kaduna bypass in the Gurara area of Niger State. The tanker, carrying 60,000 liters of gasoline, crashed at a junction on the road linking the federal capital Abuja to the city of Kaduna, according to Kumar Tsukwam, director of the Niger State Agency. The circumstances surrounding the accident are as yet unclear. According to some sources, the tanker had suddenly stopped at a dangerous point on the road at the intersection and, as the driver attempted to maneuver, it overturned, spilling its contents onto the road. Several young people from the area rushed to the scene to collect the fallen fuel, but the tanker exploded. Other sources cite the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), through statements made by its director general Abdullahi Baba Arah, according to which the incident occurred along the Dikko-Maje road when the tanker crashed, and the drivers attempted to transfer the contents to a second tanker. In the process, the leaked fuel came into contact with a generator used to power the transfer, triggering an explosion that caused extensive damage to property and people.