Nigeria fuel tanker blast kills 52 people

• Workers buried over a dozen blackened and charred bodies.
• Over 50 cattle were burned alive in the explosion.
• Fuel tanker explosions are common in Africa due to poorly maintained roads and fuel theft.

A fuel tanker exploded after colliding with a truck carrying passengers and cattle in northern Nigeria’s Niger State, killing at least 52 people, according to a rescue agency. On Monday, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) released photographs showing workers burying more than a dozen blackened and charred bodies from the early morning incident on Sunday.

Images showed the burned-out shells of the vehicles, with one still billowing smoke and flames after the incident in Niger’s Agaie local government district. Ibrahim Husseini, spokesman for Niger SEMA, informed the news agency that the victims received a mass burial following the accident and explosion.

“The incident occurred when a petrol tanker loaded with PMS (fuel) collided with a trailer truck loaded with travelers and cattle,” a SEMA statement said.

The agency also reported that two other vehicles, a crane and a pickup van, were involved in the incident. Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago expressed sadness over the “colossal” loss and urged residents to remain calm. More than 50 cattle also burned alive in the explosion.

Fuel tanker explosions are common in Africa’s most populous nation due to poorly maintained roads and residents often siphoning off fuel after accidents. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) reported that more than 5,000 people died in road accidents in Nigeria in 2023, compared to nearly 6,500 the previous year. However, the World Health Organization noted that these figures do not account for accidents not reported to the authorities.

The World Health Organization estimates that Nigeria experiences nearly 40,000 road accident deaths annually, according to a report published last year. Deadly fires and explosions also frequently occur in Nigeria’s fuel and oil infrastructure, as petroleum theft remains a major issue in one of the continent’s largest crude producers.

Two years ago, an illegal oil refinery explosion in southern Nigeria killed around 110 people. Recently, Nigeria has experienced serious fuel shortages after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) reported struggling with debts to suppliers. Last week, NNPCL’s sudden increase in fuel prices further burdened Nigerians already grappling with a cost-of-living crisis.

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