AT least 90 lives have been lost in a petrol tanker explosion that occurred in Majiya Town, Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, on Tuesday, October 15.
The Jigawa Police spokesperson, Shi’isu Adam, confirmed the toll to reporters on Wednesday, October 16.
He stated that 50 more victims had been admitted to hospitals for various degrees of injuries sustained in the incident.
Adam said the incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday after a tanker driver lost control near Khadija University and exploded.
“The driver left Kano and was heading to Nguru in Yobe when the accident happened.
“We are worried that despite police warnings for people to steer clear from scenes of accidents involving fuel tankers, they still engage in such acts.
“People gathered around the accident scene, that is the reason for the mass casualties,” Adam said.
According to the police spokesperson, the victims will be buried in a mass burial by Wednesday at 9 am.
He also said that the Ringim General Hospital provided medical care for the injured.
In April, five people were confirmed dead and several injured in an inferno after a tanker exploded on the East-West Road axis of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, on Friday, April 27.
About 70 vehicles were reported to have been consumed in the tragedy.
The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said five people died in the incident.
Following the impact of the inferno, eyewitnesses said more people could have died from the accident, which happened after a tanker carrying petroleum products burst into flames.
The tanker was said to be travelling on a run-down road when it was struck by another large truck, causing it to burst into flames.
The fire quickly spread to many other vehicles on the route, trapping occupants and preventing many of them from escaping.
The East-West Road has been under construction for many years, increasing the risks of accidents for motorists who ply the route.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara visited the site of the tanker explosion in Eleme Local Government Area on Saturday, April 27.
Fubara was accompanied to the scene of the incident by the Rivers Commissioner for Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Commissioner for Energy, Maximus Nwafor.
After seeing the carnage caused by the fire, Fubara directed security agencies to conduct a thorough assessment of the accidents to facilitate the provision of aid to victims’ families.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance