Nigerian authorities in northwest Jigawa state say they are investigating the cause of a fuel tanker crash and explosion that killed over 140 people and injured dozens more early Wednesday. It's Nigeria’s second major tanker disaster in one month.
The Jigawa state police command said it had launched an investigation into Wednesday's accident in the village of Majiya.
The police said the fuel tanker driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed after he veered off the road to avoid colliding with a moving truck.
Officials say the accident caused fuel to spill out of the tanker. Within minutes, the gasoline ignited, causing an explosion.
Dozens who were injured in the blast are receiving treatment at local hospitals.
Jigawa state police spokesperson Lawan Shiisu Adam spoke to VOA via phone.
"The fire was quenched by the efforts of the fire service and everything is calm, currently everybody is evacuated from the place now. Some of them are severely injured while some are not but they're receiving treatment. For now, the investigation is still ongoing about what caused the tanker to fall down but the driver lost control," said Shiisu.
Fuel tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, where most of the 50 million liters of gasoline consumed daily gets to gas stations and end users via poorly maintained roads.
Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps says the country recorded more than 1,500 tanker accidents and 535 deaths in 2020 alone.
Last month, 48 people were killed in Nigeria’s Niger state when another tanker overturned and exploded.
Jigawa resident Abdullahi Yawale said it's the economic situation that pushes people to rush toward overturned tankers despite the danger.
"People got their jerry cans and started taking the petrol and you know we're living in critical conditions in Nigeria people are looking for ways to survive, that's is why and you know if they take the petrol they'll sell it. They were many small kids of nine years, ten years, involved in that accident," he said.
Fuel prices have jumped sixfold since since President Bola Tinubu ended fuel subsidies last year.
Jigawa state officials say they will try to dissuade citizens from scooping up fuel at tanker accident scenes. But until the citizens are less desperate, they may continue to risk it all.
