Nigeria fuel truck explosion death toll rises to 98

The death toll from a tragic fuel truck explosion in Nigeria has climbed to 98, after more bodies were discovered on Monday amid the wreckage, according to the head of the regional emergency agency. At least 69 others are receiving medical treatment in hospitals.

The incident occurred on Saturday in Dikko, located in northern Niger State, when a petrol truck overturned and exploded. The explosion killed several people who had gathered at the scene to collect fuel from the wreckage.

Abdullahi Baba-Ara, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed that 80 victims were buried in a mass grave at a health center in Dikko over the weekend. “After clearing the wreckage of the Dikko tanker, we discovered an additional 12 bodies today, raising the death toll to 98,” he told Reuters.

This explosion marks the deadliest accident in the country since an explosion in Jigawa state in October, which claimed 147 lives.

Such accidents have become increasingly frequent in Africa’s largest oil producer, which is facing its most severe cost of living crisis in decades. Fuel prices have surged since President Bola Tinubu removed the petrol subsidy in 2023 as part of a broader economic reform package.

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