A gasoline tanker exploded in Suleja area of Niger state in Nigeria at the early hours of Saturday after an individual had reportedly 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, resulting in the death of 86 people.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson, Hussaini Isah confirmed to the local press that 55 people were injured and are receiving treatment at three different hospitals in the Suleja area.
Isah implied that the death toll may be more than the 86 counted, in his words: “There were people that were burnt to ashes. How can we get that figure? “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.
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, as there had been an untold hardship permeating the country
Gasoline prices in Nigeria 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.