Mass burial held for 48 victims of Niger tanker explosion

Forty-eight victims of a petrol tanker explosion in Agaie Local Government Area of Niger State have been given a mass burial. The tragic incident occurred early Sunday morning when a petrol tanker collided head-on with a trailer truck carrying travellers and cattle from Wudil in Kano State.

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arab, confirmed on Sunday that 48 bodies, burned beyond recognition, were buried in a mass grave in Agaie.

He added that further search and rescue operations uncovered 18 more bodies, in addition to the 30 reported earlier.

“Following further search and rescue operations, our agency discovered 18 more bodies that were also burnt to death, and all the deceased have been given a mass burial,” Baba-Arab said.

The accident occurred at about 12:30 am on Sunday along the Lapai-Agaie road, approximately 2 kilometres from Dendo Community in Agaie LGA. Over 50 cattle were also burned alive, and two other vehicles, a crane truck and a pickup van, were caught in the inferno.

“A deadly tanker explosion occurred on Sunday, the 8th of September, 2024, at about 12:30 am along Lapai-Agaie, 2km from Dendo Community in Agaie LGA. The incident occurred when a petrol tanker loaded with PMS collided with a trailer truck carrying travellers and cattle from Wudil in Kano State heading to Lagos. Two other vehicles, a crane truck and a pickup van, were also involved in the incident,” a NSEMA’s statement read.

The statement further noted that over “30 people have already been confirmed dead, with over 50 cattle burned alive.”

NSEMA’s Rapid Response Team (RRT), in conjunction with Local Government Emergency Management Committees (LGEMCs), is still on the scene conducting search and rescue operations as more corpses remain trapped inside the trucks.”