The emergency company in Nigeria’s central Niger state mentioned 59 folks have been confirmed lifeless after a tanker collided with a truck carrying passengers and cattle.
Niger’s Nationwide Emergency Administration Company mentioned the collision occurred at roughly 00:30 native time on Sunday (23:30 GMT on Saturday) and triggered an explosion that engulfed two autos.
The company’s director-general, Abdullahi Baba-arah, mentioned a response group was dispatched to the scene to take care of the scenario.
Many different autos have been additionally caught within the blast.
Hussain Ibrahim, spokesman for Niger’s nationwide emergency division, instructed the BBC the loss of life toll was more likely to rise additional.
“One of many significantly injured individuals died within the hospital, and extra discoveries have been made on the scene of the accident. The loss of life toll has now risen to 59.
“It’s also doable that extra our bodies can be found because the evacuation continues,” he added.
Video taken from the scene shortly after the incident confirmed two autos utterly gutted, together with quite a lot of lifeless cattle.
After the incident, an emergency employee instructed Reuters they have been attempting to get better the carcasses in addition to the carcasses of animals nonetheless contained in the automobile.
Funeral providers have been held for a lot of the victims on Sunday, Mr Ibrahim instructed the BBC.
“That is undoubtedly essentially the most critical incident we now have recorded in a few years,” he mentioned.
He added that the Niger State Authorities was paying hospital payments for the injured.
In a message of condolences to the households of the victims, Governor Umaru Bago mentioned he was “pained by this unlucky incident”.
Tanker explosions and accidents are widespread in Nigeria, partly because of poor street circumstances.
