A collision between a fuel tanker and another truck in Nigeria on Sunday has resulted in the deaths of at least 48 people, including 50 cattle that were being transported in the tanker, The Associated Press reports. citing the country’s emergency response agency.
The accident occurred in the Agaie area of north-central Niger state, leaving a trail of devastation. Search and rescue operations are ongoing at the scene.
Abdullahi Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, initially reported finding 30 bodies. However, in a subsequent statement, he confirmed that an additional 18 victims, who were burned to death in the collision, were recovered, bringing the total death toll to 48. The victims were given a mass burial.
Mohammed Bago, governor of Niger state, issued a statement urging residents of the affected area to remain calm and appealing to road users to exercise caution and adhere to traffic regulations.
Fatal truck accidents are a frequent occurrence in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, due to the lack of an efficient railway system for transporting cargo. According to Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps, there were 1,531 gasoline tanker crashes in 2020 alone, resulting in 535 fatalities and 1,142 injuries.
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