By Desire Emmanuel
The Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Wednesday, October 22, confirmed that 39 people that died and over 60 others with severe burns, including men, women, and children were among those scoop petrol from the fallen tanker in Niger State.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Essan community along the Bida-Agaie Expressway in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State, when the fully-loaded tanker fell and went up in flames after spilling its content.
However, while giving an update on the incident on Wednesday, NEMA, disclosed that some residents of the area trooped out when the tanker fell and were busy scooping petrol when the tanker suddenly went up in flames.
NEMA added that among the casualties of the inferno were children who also joined their parents and other adults to scoop the petrol.
It wrote: “The explosion, which happened around 3:45 p.m. along the Bida–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.”
The agency added that its team, working alongside NSEMA, the Police, NSCDC, FRSC, DSS, local vigilantes, and community volunteers, rushed 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.
“While commiserating with the victims and families affected, the NEMA Director General 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.”
