The death toll from a tanker explosion in the north on Tuesday night has reached 170 Nigeriawhile another 70 people continue to be treated in intensive care units.
On Tuesday night, a truck carrying fuel swerved to avoid a head-on collision with another truck in Majiya commune (Jigawa state), about 100 kilometers northeast of Kano, the main urban center in the north of the country.
After the accident, residents gathered around the vehicle as it leaked from the tanker onto the road. But the vehicle explodedkilling many of those gathered.
“The death toll is 170,” said Lawan Sisu Adam, police spokesperson, in a press release issued yesterday. “(Another) 70 people are receiving care in intensive care units at medical centers” in three communities, he added.
The injured are also being treated in other hospitals, he clarified.
A previous count, released on Wednesday by local authorities, put 140 dead and approximately the same number of injured.
Deep economic crisis
The accident, one of the deadliest of its kind in Nigeria, reflects how insecurity has worsened for Nigerians, as some passers-by sought to collect fuel, ignoring the risk of an explosion.
The most populous country in Africa is going through a deep economic crisis, with high inflation, fueled in particular by the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, in power since May 2023.
The price of fuel increased fivefold in 18 months and are now out of reach for many.
According to a new World Bank report, released yesterday Thursday, 56% of Nigerians now live below the official poverty line, up from 40% in 2018.
In September, an explosion caused by the collision of a tanker truck carrying fuel with another truck carrying people and farm animals killed at least 59 people in the state of Niger (west).