ABUJA, Nigeria — The death toll from a gasoline tanker explosion in north-central Nigeria has risen to 86, the country’s emergency response agency said Sunday.
The blast happened in the early hours of Saturday near the Suleja area of Niger state after individuals attempted to transfer gasoline from a crashed oil tanker into another truck using a generator.
The fuel transfer sparked the explosion, resulting in the deaths of those transferring the gasoline and bystanders.
In an update, Hussaini Isah of the National Emergency Management Agency told the Associated Press that an additional 55 people were injured and are receiving treatment at three different hospitals in the Suleja area.
“There were people that were burnt to ashes. How can we get that figure?” the official said, indicating that the death toll might be higher than 86. “We won’t know the exact figure without forensics.”
The blast claimed so many victims because a crowd had gathered at the scene, including people taking pictures, bystanders, and others attempting to scoop gasoline, Isah said.
Gasoline prices in Africa’s most populous country has soared after the administration of President Bola Tinubu removed subsides on the product more than a year ago in an attempt to channel the resources to more developmental purposes. However, the policy has caused untoward hardship.
Scooping gasoline from a fallen tanker is common in Nigeria as some people see that as an opportunity to get free product that they could either use or resell for a profit.
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