Governor Mohammed Umaru-Bago of Niger State has expressed sadness over the petrol tanker explosion that killed 48 people in Essa village in Katcha Local Government Area of the State. The Sunday morning incident occurred along the Bida-Agaie-Lapai highway.
Bago, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, described the incident as “painful, unfortunate and devastating”. “The loss is colossal; it is quite saddening,” he said.
While commiserating with those who suffered losses, he said that government, through the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), and other relevant agencies, had mobilised to the scene for rescue operations.
He urged road users to always be cautious and abide by road traffic regulations to safeguard lives and property. Bago prayed to God to comfort the families of victims and grant quick recovery to those injured.
The explosion, which occurred about two kilometres away from Dendo Community in Agaie, left many dead, cattle burnt while vehicles and properties were destroyed.
Tragedy: 48 killed as petrol tanker explodes in Niger
Tragedy struck on Sunday when 48 people lost their lives as a result of a petrol tanker explosion that occurred along Bida-Agaie-Lapai- road in Niger. Alhaji Abdullah- Baba-Arah, Director-General, Niger Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), confirmed this in a statement in Minna on Sunday.
He said the agency received a report of a deadly tanker explosion that occurred on Sunday at about 12:30 am along Bida-Agaie-Lapai highway. According to him , the scene of the disaster is two kilometres away from Dendo community in Agaie Local government Area.
He said the incident occurred when a petrol tanker loaded with petrol (PMS) collided with a trailer truck loaded with travelers and cattle from Wudil in Kano State en route Lagos. Baba-Arah said two other vehicles, a crane truck and a pickup van were also involved in the multiple incident.
He disclosed that over 30 people have been confirmed dead, with over 50 cattle burnt alive. The director-general said the agency’s Rapid Respond Team (RRT) and other ‘Local Emergency Management Committees (LGEMCs)’ were still at the scene of the incident.
He said that they were conducting search and rescue operations as more corpses were still trapped inside the ill-fated trucks.