Friday,
October 18, 2024 - A fuel tanker explosion in northern Nigeria has
killed more than 170 people, with a further 70 receiving intensive care in
hospital, police said on Friday.
A blast torethrough crowds who had rushed to collect fuel spilling from
a crashed tanker in the town of Majiya in Jigawa state late on Tuesday.
"At theFederal Medical Centers in Azare, Nguru, and Birnin Kudu,
70 people were receiving intensive care," said spokesman Deputy
Superintendent of PoliceLawan Shiisu Adam in a statement, with the death
toll rising to 170.
Other hospitals were also treating victims for injuries, he added.
The tragedy is the latest such accident in Nigeria at a time when petrol
has become a precious commodity in Africa's most populous country, which is
suffering its worst economic crisis in a generation.
Many arestruggling to get access to gasoline, as its price has spiked
more than fivefold since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office in May 2023.
Inflation has beenpeaking at more than 30 percent for months, reaching
an almost three-decade high of 34.19 percent in June, down to 32.7 percent in
September.
More than half --56 percent -- of Nigerians are living under the poverty
line, up from 40 percent in 2018, according to a World Bank report published
Thursday.
At least 59 peopledied last month when a fuel tanker collided with a truck carrying passengers and cattle in northwestern Niger state.
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