A devastating fuel tanker explosion has claimed no fewer than 30 lives and left about 40 others injured in Niger State on Tuesday morning.
The tragic incident occurred around 11:00 am near Essan and Badeggi communities along the Bida–Agaie road in Katcha Local Government Area.
Eyewitnesses said the victims were scooping fuel from a tanker that had earlier fallen along the highway when it suddenly exploded, sparking a massive fire that consumed several people.
Many of the victims were reportedly burnt beyond recognition, while those who sustained injuries were rushed to nearby hospitals for medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Niger State Tanker Drivers Association and National Ex-Officio of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Farouk Kawo, described the explosion as "devastating and avoidable."
According to Kawo, the tanker, which was transporting petroleum products from Lagos to northern Nigeria, lost control and crashed before bursting into flames.
He revealed that more than 30 tanker-related accidents had been recorded along the Bida–Agaie road in October alone.
He blamed the alarming rate of accidents on the deplorable state of the road and the unsafe behaviour of residents who rush to scoop fuel from accident scenes.
"Just last Sunday, a tanker carrying groundnut oil also crashed in the same area, and residents rushed to scoop the product," Kawo lamented.
Efforts to reach the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, for an official comment were unsuccessful as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.
Meanwhile, the NUPENG official has appealed to Governor Umaru Bago to prioritise the rehabilitation of the Bida–Agaie road to avert further tragedies.
He urged residents to desist from endangering their lives by scooping fuel from fallen tankers, stressing that "no quantity of fuel is worth a human life."
Comments
Post a Comment