At least 30 people have allegedly lost their lives and around 40 sustained various degrees of injuries in a tanker explosion.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday morning in Essan and Badeggi communities along the Bida-Agaie road in Katcha local government area.
According to eyewitnesses, the victims were scooping petroleum products from the overturned tanker when it exploded, leaving some bodies burnt beyond recognition.
They stated that those injured were rushed to nearby hospitals in the area for treatment.
Confirming the incident, Farouk Mohammed Kawo, Niger State Chairman of Tanker Drivers and NUPENG stated that the tanker was transporting petroleum products from Lagos to the North.
Kawo lamented that over 30 tanker trailers have been involved in accidents in the same area this October alone.
He also decried the community’s habit of scooping oil from accident-prone vehicles, while citing a recent incident where a groundnut oil tanker overturned and its contents were scooped by residents.
The chairman appealed to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago’s administration to urgently grade the affected road to prevent further loss of lives and property.
He then emphasised the need for the government’s intervention to address the recurring accidents on roads in the state.
Efforts to reach the state Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, for confirmation failed as of the time of filing this report.
