ABUJA, Nigeria – The death toll from a gasoline tanker explosion in north-central Nigeria has risen to 86, the country’s emergency response agency said Sunday.
The explosion occurred in the early hours of Saturday near the Suleja area of Niger state after individuals attempted to transfer gasoline from a crashed tanker truck to another truck using a generator.
The transfer of fuel caused the explosion, resulting in the deaths of those transferring the gasoline and bystanders.
In an update, Hussaini Isah of the National Emergency Management Agency told the Associated Press that another 55 people were injured and are receiving treatment at three different hospitals in the Suleja area.
“There were people who were reduced to ashes. How can we get that figure? the official said, indicating the death toll could be higher than 86. “We won’t know the exact number without forensic analysis.”
The explosion claimed so many victims because a crowd had gathered at the scene, including people taking photographs, bystanders and others trying to collect gasoline, Isah said.
Gasoline prices in Africa’s most populous country have soared after President Bola Tinubu’s administration eliminated subsidies on the product more than a year ago in an attempt to channel resources toward more development purposes. However, the policy has caused adverse difficulties.
Picking up gasoline from a downed tanker is common in Nigeria as some people see it as an opportunity to get a free product that they could use or resell for a profit.
