No fewer than 73 people were burnt to death and 56 others hospitalised in Saturday’s petrol tanker explosion at Dikko junction in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.
Among those hospitalised are pregnant women, nursing mothers, young and old.
The incident, which involved 2 petrol tankers along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway led to the destruction of several shops.
The tanker conveying petrol fell while trying to navigate through the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.
According to an official of the National Emergency Management Agency, the explosion occurred when the content of the tanker that fell was to be transferred into another one.
This was confirmed by an official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Abdullahi Spower.
He said a generating set used to transfer the product ignited the fire that caused the explosion.
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Bystanders, including pregnant women and nursing mothers, became the victims who were burnt to death beyond recognition.
The injured were evacuated to 3 hospitals within Suleja and Tafa for medical attention.
Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, who has visited the scene to commiserate with the victims promised to assist those affected.
For now, rescue operation is still ongoing while the dead are being moved to a place for mass burial.
This tanker explosion is coming barely 4 months after a similar incident occurred on the Agaie-Lapai road in September 2024, where 59 persons lost their lives, which was attributed to bad roads and overspeeding.
It is also gathered that the same incident also occurred at the Dikko junction in August 2019, where five persons lost their lives while over 10 others sustained injuries.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
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