“We have recovered 45 corpses of the dead while 101 others sustained serious fire burns,” Benue state Federal Road Safety Commission Sector Commander Aliyu Baba told AFP. “Sixteen of the passengers in the vehicle, including the two children and the pregnant woman, were instantly burnt to death,” Baba said. They were trapped in the fire when the truck exploded for a second time,” resident Ade Derfer told AFP. Petrol tanker and pipeline blasts are common in Nigeria, where despite the country’s multi-billion-dollar oil and gas industry, most people live in poverty. Fires and explosions often occur as people try to siphon fuel from pipelines or following accidents involving fuel tankers on badly-maintained roads.

Source: The Guardian July 02, 2019 18:22 UTC