At least 35 persons have been burnt to death while scooping for fuel from an overturned petrol Tanker at Essan village near Badeggi town in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State, while 40 others were reportedly injured in the accident which occurred on Tuesday morning.
Eyewitnesses said that considerable property in the area were also burnt.
According to the eyewitnesses the petrol tanker was conveying the commodity from Lagos to a northern city when it ran into a bad portion of the road at Essan.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has expressed sadness at the tanker explosion in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State where media reports say 38 persons were feared killed.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is also the state chief executive of Kwara State, the Forum sent its condolences to the people and government of Niger State.
His words: “The Forum sends its heartfelt condolences to the people and government of Niger State, especially the families of the victims and His Excellency Governor Mohammed Umar Bago.
“Our sympathies are with every family that is affected in this unfortunate incident. We commend all the emergency responders for their humanitarian assistance to the victims,” according to a statement by the NGF Chairman AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
“This disaster again calls attention to safety issues in every aspect of our life. This is particularly important in how combustible items are stored and transported at every stage.”
According to reports, initially it was gathered that nothing “serious” happened until the villagers started scooping the fuel resulting in an explosion which burnt the 35 victims to death and made the 40 others to sustain serious injuries
The Director of Information of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, Dr. Ibrahim Hussaini, confirmed the incident saying” our men are on the ground for search and rescue operations
“So far our men have confirmed that 35 people have been burnt to death and 40 others injured,” Dr. Hussaini said adding that the injured have been rushed to Bida and Lapai General Hospitals
Laleye Dipo
