Tragedy Strikes: Fuel Truck Explosion in Nigeria Claims 98 Lives

A devastating fuel truck explosion in Dikko, Nigeria has claimed 98 lives. The incident occurred when residents attempted to collect fuel from an overturned truck. Emergency agencies recovered additional bodies, bringing the total death toll to 98. The deadly accident highlights ongoing fuel crisis challenges in Nigeria.

A fuel truck explosion in Nigeria's Dikko region has raised the death toll to 98, as emergency responders recover more bodies from the site. The tragic incident happened over the weekend when a petrol tanker overturned and burst into flames, attracting residents hoping to collect fuel from the wreckage.

Abdullahi Baba-Ara, head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed that 80 victims were buried in a mass grave. On Monday, an additional 12 corpses were discovered, bringing the total death toll to 98. The explosion is one of the deadliest in recent memory in Nigeria, following a similar disaster in Jigawa State last October that killed 147.

The accident underscores the ongoing fuel crisis in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer. Fuel prices have shot up since President Bola Tinubu ended a subsidy on petrol as part of sweeping economic reforms initiated in 2023. This latest tragedy amplifies concerns over the nation's deepening cost-of-living crisis.

(With inputs from agencies.)