Nigeria’s Tanker Tragedy Kills Over 140 People

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ABUJA (Worthy News) – Residents in northern Nigeria were grieving Thursday after authorities confirmed that more than 140 people, including children, were killed when an overturned gasoline tanker truck exploded in flames while they tried to scoop up fuel.

Most of the bodies were unrecognizable, emergency services said, adding that dozens of people more were injured.

Witnesses said the accident occurred around midnight in northern Jigawa state’s Majiya town when the tanker driver lost control on a highway. Police spokesperson Lawan Adam said locals rushed to the scene before the “massive inferno” that quickly burned many people.

“Close to 140 people were put in a mass grave, apart from people buried in other places,” the head of the National Emergency Management Agency in the region, Nura Abdullahi, said.

Resident Sani Umar told local Channels Television the fire spread so quickly that many couldn’t escape. “People were running in all directions, screaming for help,” Umar recalled.

But by that time, it was too late for many. Most of the victims were “burned to ashes” at the scene, added Dr. Haruna Mairiga, head of the Jigawa emergency services. “If they knew [about the danger], they wouldn’t have gone to fetch [the fuel], Mairiga concluded.

MORE DEATHS

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

It was the latest tragedy in northern Nigeria, which also suffers from anti-Christian violence that has killed thousands of people every year.

Several deadly tanker accidents have occurred in Nigeria as Africa’s most populous country lacks an efficient railway system for transporting cargo.

Observers noted that petrol has become a precious commodity during Nigeria’s worst economic crisis in a generation.

In a nation marred by poverty, people often salvage fuel with cups and buckets — mainly because of soaring fuel prices, which have tripled since the government ended costly gas subsidies last year.

More than 1,500 accidents involving fuel tankers occurred in Nigeria in 2020, resulting in 535 deaths, according to Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps. In many cases, there are no prosecutions, and victims or their families are not compensated, experts say.

TANKER COLLIDES

At least 48 people were killed in September when a fuel tanker collided with another truck in north-central Nigeria.

Yet the latest accident revived questions about implementing safety measures and traffic regulations in West Africa.

In a statement, Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima called for a safety review and said the federal government was sending resources to support those affected.

Many tankers are not designed according to international standards to avoid spillage during accidents, explained Timothy Iwuagwu, president of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria.

He complained that the agencies charged with enforcing safety regulations also often fail to do so.

“There are also not enough awareness campaigns, [and] people are not willfully compliant” with safety measures when such accidents happen, Iwuagwu stressed.

Yet, with new questions raised, Nigerian lawmakers observed a minute’s silence in the Senate, commemorating the victims of yet another tragedy in this troubled land.

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