No fewer than 35 persons were confirmed dead while 46 others sustained varying degrees of burns after a fuel-laden tanker exploded on Tuesday morning along the Bida–Agaie highway in Niger State.
The tragic incident, which occurred around 11:00 a.m. near Essan and Badeggi communities in Katcha Local Government Area, threw the entire area into mourning as scores of victims were burnt beyond recognition.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Niger State, Aishat Saadu, said the accident was a lone crash involving a fallen tanker that burst into flames while people were scooping fuel.
> “Forty-six injured persons have been taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, while 35 bodies have been recovered,” Saadu told reporters.
Eyewitnesses said the explosion occurred moments after the tanker, which was reportedly conveying petroleum products from Lagos to the northern part of the country, overturned and spilled its content.
> “People rushed to scoop fuel despite warnings. Suddenly, there was a loud blast, and the fire spread rapidly,” said a resident of Badeggi, who identified himself simply as Musa.
The Chairman of the Niger State Tanker Drivers Association and National Ex-Officio of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Farouk Kawo, described the tragedy as “devastating and completely avoidable.”
According to him, the incident was one of many fatal crashes recorded on the Bida–Agaie route due to its poor state.
> “This is the 31st tanker accident recorded on this route in October alone,” Kawo lamented.
“Just last Sunday, a tanker carrying groundnut oil also crashed in the same area, and people still went there to scoop the product. This attitude is dangerous, and the government must act urgently.”
Kawo appealed to Governor Umaru Bago to fix the deplorable portion of the road to prevent further loss of lives and property, noting that the frequency of accidents on the route has become alarming.
Efforts to reach the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, for comments were unsuccessful as calls to his phone were not answered at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, rescue operations were ongoing late Tuesday as emergency responders battled to clear the wreckage and prevent another possible explosion.
The Niger State government is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
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