A mass burial has been conducted for 48 victims of a petrol tanker explosion that occurred in Agaie Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria.
Abdullahi Baba-Arab, Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), confirmed on Sunday that the victims, whose bodies were burnt beyond recognition, were interred in a mass grave in the local government area.
The tragic incident took place in the early hours of Sunday when a petrol tanker collided head-on with a trailer truck carrying passengers and cattle from Wudil in Kano state. The accident occurred around 12:30 am along the Lapai-Agaie road, approximately 2 kilometers from Dendo Community in Agaie LGA.
Initially, 30 fatalities were reported. However, Baba-Arab stated that further search and rescue operations uncovered 18 additional bodies. “Following further search and rescue operations, my agency discovered 18 more bodies which were also burnt to death and all the dead have been given mass burial,” he said.
The NSEMA chief also reported that over 50 cattle were burnt alive in the incident. Two other vehicles, a crane truck and a pickup van, were caught in the resulting inferno.
NSEMA’s Rapid Response Team, in collaboration with Local Government Emergency Management Committees, conducted search and rescue operations at the scene. The agency noted that the collision involved a petrol tanker loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and a trailer truck transporting both people and livestock from Kano State to Lagos.
This incident highlights the ongoing issues of road safety in Nigeria, particularly concerning the transportation of hazardous materials like petrol. Local authorities are expected to investigate the cause of the collision and consider measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
