Petrol Tanker Explosion roasts 14 people in Niger [photos]

A fatal accident in Tegina town in Rafi Local Government Area, LGA, of Niger state, saw no fewer than fourteen persons roast to death....


The unfortunate incident, which happened on Friday, was reportedly as a result of a fire caused by a petrol tanker.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, DSP Bala Elkana, who confirmed the incident to newsmen said that the Commissioner of Police, CP, Alhaji Zubairu Muazu, had visited the scene of the accident.

He said the command would investigate the cause of the accident.

The tanker was conveying petrol from Lagos to Kaduna when the driver lost control and rammed his vehicle into some residential buildings in the town.

People gather at the scene next to the bodies of the victims after a Nigerian petrol tanker tipped over in Okogbe on July 12, 2012. More than 100 people who rushed to scoop up fuel after a Nigerian petrol tanker tipped over on July 12 were killed when the vehicle and pools of spilled oil caught fire. Children were among those killed, while dozens more were badly burned, despite a warning from troops who arrived at the crash site that a blaze could ignite at any moment.

The collision ignited a fire which claimed the lives of the people who were trapped in the buildings and others selling by the roadside.

About eight houses were completely burnt and properties valued at millions of naira including vehicles were destroyed in the inferno.

Five persons, who sustained high degrees of injuries, are currently receiving treatment at Tegina General Hospital in the state.