Nearly 150 people are killed when a fuel tanker explodes in Nigeria

The tragedy is the latest accident at a time when gasoline has become a precious commodity in the country, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation.

The fuel tanker turned to avoid another vehicle and crashed late Tuesday in Majiya town, Jigawa state, police said.

After the crash, residents crowded around the overturned tanker to collect the leaking fuel.

Student Sanusi Lawan told AFP he heard “screams of joy” and rushed to join hundreds of people scooping up the fuel in buckets.

The 21-year-old had taken his bucket home and his brother had persuaded him not to return when they heard “a huge explosion and cries of pain and fear”.

“We rushed to the scene and it was a horror scene,” Lawan said. “People were running while on fire and screaming for help.”

“If I had not listened to my brother’s advice, I would have been among the dead,” he said.

– Mass grave –

The National Emergency Service said 147 people had died.

Local government chairman Hambali Zarga told AFP that this figure only included bodies buried in one mass grave, and warned that the toll was likely to rise.

Dozens of victims were “burned beyond recognition”, he told AFP at the grave.

He said more bodies had been buried elsewhere, while about 140 injured residents were being treated in nearby hospitals.

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

In the capital Abuja, Nigerian lawmakers observed a minute’s silence in the Senate.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledged to support those affected and said he was “committed to the rapid and comprehensive review of fuel transport safety protocols across the country”.

– ‘Fuel is gold’ –

Fuel tanker explosions are common in Africa’s most populous country, where roads can be poorly maintained.

Since Tinubu removed subsidies last year, the price of petrol has increased fivefold and there are often shortages.

Desperation increased further last week after the state oil company raised prices for the second time in just over a month.

“Everyone knows the risk associated with scooping up fuel when a tanker crashes, but poverty is too great to resist the temptation,” student Lawan told AFP at the scene.

“Fuel is gold now” amid the economic crisis, he said.

Police spokesman Lawan Shiisu Adam said the crowd had “overwhelmed” officers who tried to stop them, a claim supported by eyewitnesses.

“There is widespread poverty in the country and people will do anything to get what they need to eat,” said Buhari Ali, a 30-year-old civil servant who took part in the mass funeral.

“People are hungry and they couldn’t afford to miss such a rare opportunity.”

– Dangerous roads –

Accidents involving tankers are common in the country, with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) recording 1,531 accidents in 2020, resulting in 535 deaths.

Last month, at least 59 people died when a fuel tanker collided with a truck carrying passengers and livestock in northwestern Niger state.

The FRSC said more than 5,000 people would die in road accidents in Nigeria in 2023, compared to almost 6,500 the year before.

But according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the figures do not include accidents that were not reported to authorities.

The WHO estimates that the annual number of deaths from road accidents in Nigeria is closer to 40,000, according to a report published last year.

Deadly fires and explosions are also taking place in fuel and oil infrastructure in Nigeria, one of the largest crude oil producers on the continent.