Nigeria fuel tanker explosion kills more than 140: emergency agency

AFP | Majiya, Nigeria                                               

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An explosion has killed more than 140 people in northern Nigeria as crowds rushed to collect fuel spilling from a crashed tanker, officials told AFP yesterday.

It's the latest such accident at a time when petrol has become a precious commodity during Nigeria's worst economic crisis in a generation.

The fuel tanker had veered to avoid another vehicle and crashed in the town of Majiya in Jigawa state on Tuesday, police said.

Following the crash, residents crowded round the tanker, gathering fuel that spilt onto the road and in drains, police spokesman Lawan Shiisu Adam said.

Nura Abdullahi, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said "more than 140 people" had been buried in a mass grave and warned the toll was likely to rise further.

Earlier, police said at least 94 people were killed and 50 injured.

Shiisu Adam said the residents had "overwhelmed" officers trying to stop them.

The Nigerian Medical Association has urged doctors to rush to nearby emergency rooms to help with the influx of patients.

Nigerian lawmakers have observed a minute’s silence in the Senate.

In a statement on Wednesday, Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima called for a safety review and said the federal government was sending resources to support those affected.

Fuel tanker explosions are common in Africa's most populous nation, where roads can be poorly maintained and residents often look to siphon off fuel following accidents.

The price of petrol has soared fivefold since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu scrapped subsidies last year, and there are often shortages.