42 persons confirmed dead, 52 injured in Niger tanker explosion – NSEMA

Niger State Emergency Management Authority, NSEMA, has confirmed that 42 people lost their lives, while 52 others sustained injuries in Tuesday’s tanker explosion in the state.

Director General of NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba Arah, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s news programme.

Arah attributed the incident to the poor condition of the road, which caused the tanker to fall and spill its contents.

“The bad condition of the road is the major cause of the fallen tanker that led to the explosion,” he said.

He explained that residents of nearby villages rushed to the scene to scoop fuel from the overturned tanker, but a sudden ignition caused a massive fire, trapping many people.

“Because of the bad road, the tanker fell. Villagers came out in their numbers to scoop the fuel, but the high temperature ignited the fire, and unfortunately, many were trapped in the inferno,” Arah said.