Thursday, October 23, 2025 - The National Emergency Management Agency has said that the death toll in the petrol tanker explosion that occurred at Essan community in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State has risen to 39.
This is just as 60 people were said to be hospitalised after
sustaining varying degrees of burns in the incident.
NEMA disclosed this in a statement shared on X on Wednesday.
PUNCH Metro reported on Wednesday that the Niger
State Police Command confirmed that 31 people were killed in the incident.
Our correspondent had gathered that the tanker, which was
conveying petrol, was involved in a lone accident before spilling its content.
Residents of the community were said to have trooped to the
scene to scoop fuel and, in the process, the tanker was engulfed in flames.
The impact of the fire has left several people dead and many
others with injuries.
Releasing an assessment report on Wednesday, NEMA noted that
39 people died in the explosion while 60 others were injured.
The statement added that a detailed assessment of the level
of damage was still ongoing.
“The explosion, which happened around 3:45 p.m. along the
Bida–Badegi–Agaie road, claimed 39 lives and left over 60 persons with severe
burns, including men, women, and children. The victims were reportedly among
those attempting to scoop fuel from a fallen tanker when the explosion
occurred.
“NEMA’s team, working alongside NSEMA, the police, NSCDC,
FRSC, DSS, local vigilantes, and community volunteers, successfully evacuated
the injured victims to nearby health facilities including the Essan Primary
Health Centre, Idris Private Hospital, and the Federal Medical Centre, Bida,
for emergency treatment.
“The multi-stakeholder rescue team has commenced a detailed
assessment of the damage in the affected community.”
The statement also urged members of the public to shun the
habit of scooping fuel from fallen tankers.
“While commiserating with the victims and families affected,
the NEMA Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, warned members of the public to
desist from scooping fuel from accident tankers, stressing that such acts have
repeatedly led to avoidable loss of lives.
“She also advised residents and motorists to stay clear of
accident scenes and promptly report such incidents to emergency agencies for
professional handling,” it read.
Mass deaths arising from tanker accidents and petrol
scooping have been recorded in the past across different states despite
awareness by both the government and the media.
In a similar incident in January, 70 persons were burnt to
death while scooping petrol from a crashed tanker in Niger State.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide
Sanwo-Olu, has expressed sympathy to his Niger State counterpart, Governor
Mohammed Bago, over the tanker explosion.
Sanwo-Olu, who is the Chairman of the South-West Governors’
Forum, also condoled with the families of the victims of the lone tanker
accident along the Bida-Agaie highway.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Mr Gboyega Akosile, on Wednesday, it was stated that the governor
said the incident is worrisome and pathetic.
He said: “It is with a heavy heart that I read and followed
the development of the disaster that happened yesterday along the Bida/Agaie
highway in Niger State following the explosion of a petrol-laden tanker that
reportedly claimed about 35 persons.
He said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with my brother,
Governor Mohammed Bago, the Government and the people of Niger State, as well
as the deceased families and victims of the sad incident.
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