A fuel tanker explosion in Agaie Local Government Area, Niger State, has claimed the lives of at least 30 people and killed over 50 cows, News About Nigeria reports.
The deadly incident occurred early Sunday morning when a petrol tanker collided with a trailer truck carrying passengers and livestock from Wudil in Kano State, leading to a massive explosion.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arab, confirmed the accident in a statement.
According to Baba-Arab, the collision happened around 12:30 am along the Lapai-Agaie road, approximately two kilometres from Dendo Community.
In addition to the truck carrying travellers and cattle, a crane truck and a pickup van were also caught in the flames.
The NSEMA statement read, “The incident occurred when a petrol tanker loaded with PMS collided with a trailer truck loaded with travellers and cattle from Wudil in Kano State heading to Lagos; two other vehicles, a crane truck and a pickup van, were also caught in the incident.
“Over 30 people are already confirmed dead, with over 50 cattle burnt alive. NSEMA’s Rapid Response Team, in conjunction with local emergency teams, is still on the scene conducting search and rescue operations as more corpses are believed to be trapped inside the trucks.”
In a separate incident on the same day, a tanker explosion in the Iyana-Ajia area of Ibadan, Oyo State, resulted in the destruction of two articulated trucks, an 18-seater bus, two small commercial taxis (Micra), and three motorbikes.
The explosion, which occurred around 4:30 pm along the Ibadan-Ife Expressway, left multiple vehicles reduced to ashes.
Emergency response teams were on-site to assess the damage and manage the situation.
