At least 147 people die in a fuel tanker accident in Nigeria

JIGAWA STATE, Nigeria: A fuel tanker overturned late Tuesday in Nigeria’s northern Jigawa state after the driver lost control of the vehicle, leaking gasoline that exploded and killed at least 147 people, police and state emergency services said Wednesday (Oct 16).

The accident is one of the worst in recent times in Africa’s most populous country, which faces widespread security threats and a cost of living crisis.

Haruna Mairiga, head of the Jigawa State Emergency Services, puts the death toll from the accident at 147.

Local police spokesman Lawan Shiisu Adam said the tanker was en route from Kano ancient town to Yobe State in the north when the driver lost control near Majia town in Taura local government area, about 530 kilometers north of the capital Abuja, causing the tanker to overturn and spill fuel.