A tragic incident involving the explosion of a petrol tanker in Niger State, Nigeria has claimed the lives of over 50 and cattle in a head-on accident. Victims were given a mass funeral.
On Sunday, an awful accident involving a petrol tanker and another truck left more than fifty lives lost in the Agaie district of Niger State, Nigeria. The fuel tank also carried animals and faced a head-on collision with another vehicle, producing a huge explosion that caused immense damage.
At least 50 cows killed in the fire,” according to Abdullahi Baba-Arab, the director-general of Niger State Emergency Management Agency. First responders found thirty dead on the scene, but further search and rescue operations unearthed eighteen more charred beyond-recognition victims. A mass burial for the dead was a necessary measure to contain the extent of the disaster.
The governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, asked for peace in the affected area and called on drivers to strictly observe rules of road safety to prevent such incidents in the future. He pressed on the need for exercise on Nigerian roads where the incidence of fatal trucking accidents was appallingly frequent.
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The most populous nation on the African continent, Nigeria continues to grapple with the consequence of a weak railway system that drives most goods being carried on roadways. According to the Federal Road Safety Corps, there were 1,531 gasoline tanker collisions in 2020 that resulted in 535 deaths and more than 1,100 injuries.
The sad explosion in Niger State has again pointedly told the nation of the need for improved infrastructure in the transportation system and the strict application of the rules of the road.
