No fewer than 30 people have reportedly lost their lives, while about 40 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a tragic tanker explosion that occurred along the Essa axis of the Agaie–Bida Road in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.
Hajiya Aishatu Sa’adu, Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Niger Command, confirmed the incident, which occured at about 11a.m on Tuesday.
Eyewitnesses said the victims were scooping fuel from a fallen tanker when the vehicle suddenly exploded, setting off a massive fire that engulfed several people.
Many victims were said to have been burnt beyond recognition, while the injured were evacuated to nearby hospitals for treatment.
According to Sa’adu, the unfortunate incident has caused serious traffic gridlock on the ever busy expressway, particularly due to the bad nature of the road.
She pointed out that the deplorable state of the road also impacted response time for the rescue operation.
Also confirming the incident, 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 it as “devastating and avoidable.”
According to him, the ill-fated tanker was conveying petroleum products from Lagos to the northern part of the country when it crashed.
Kawo lamented that more than 30 tanker accidents had been recorded along the Bida–Agaie route in October alone, blaming the high rate of crashes on the deplorable state of the road.
He also expressed concern over the recurring practice by some youths who rush to scoop fuel from accident scenes despite repeated warnings.
He appealed to Governor Umaru Bago to urgently rehabilitate the affected portion of the road to prevent further loss of lives and property.
