A mass burial has been held in Nigeria's Jigawa state for people who died after an overturned fuel tanker exploded in flames as they rushed to scoop leaking petrol.
The death toll from the explosion has climbed to 147, including children, emergency services said Wednesday. Dozens more were injured.
The accident occurred at midnight in northern Jigawa state's Majiya town when the tanker driver lost control on a highway, police spokesperson Lawan Adam said. Residents rushed t o the scene before the “massive inferno.”
Most of the bodies were unrecognizable, emergency services said.
"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, told The Associated Press.
'Burned to ashes'
Most other victims were “burned to ashes” at the scene, said Haruna Mairiga, head of the Jigawa emergency services.
“If they knew (about the danger), they wouldn’t have gone to fetch (the fuel)," Mairiga said.
But 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 said.
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.
The latest accident revived questions about the implementation of safety measures and traffic regulations in the West African country.
'Shouts of joy'
Student Sanusi Lawan told AFP he had heard "shouts of joy" and rushed to join hundreds of people scooping up the fuel with buckets.
The 21-year-old had taken his bucket home and his brother had persuaded him not to return for more, when they heard "a huge explosion and cries of pain and fright".
"We rushed to the place and it was a scene of horror," Lawan said. "People were running while on fire and shouting for help."
"Had I not listened to my brother's advice, I would have been among the dead," he said.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledged to support those affected and said he was "committed to the swift and comprehensive review of fuel transportation safety protocols across the country".
