…Over 40 injured
At least 30 people have allegedly lost their lives and around 40 sustained various degrees of injuries in a tanker explosion.
It was gathered the incident occurred yesterday 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, and left 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 emphasized the need for 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 at the time of filing this report.
Discover more from The STATESMAN Newspaper
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Post Disclaimer
THE STATESMAN NEWSPAPER make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the stories hereon as the statements are purely of the news makers.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from THE STATESMAN NEWSPAPER.
Contact:
