LAGOS, Nigeria
A fuel tanker exploded late Tuesday at a filling station near Yola International Airport in northeastern Nigeria’s Adamawa State, with several people feared dead.
The road leading into Yola, the capital of Adamawa, was blocked due to the incident.
Officials of the Adamawa State Fire Service and Federal Fire Service were battling to contain the blaze.
Confirming the incident, State Police spokesperson Suleiman Nguroje said an investigation has been launched to determine the level of damage and circumstances behind the incident.
Although Nguroje said no lives were lost, eyewitnesses said at least 10 people caught up in the fire were burnt to death.
The latest incident marks the fourth explosion in Nigeria since the beginning of the year.
At least 11 people were killed when a petrol-laden tanker exploded along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway on Jan. 25. In Niger State, 98 people were killed and 55 injured on Jan. 18 while scooping up fuel from a crashed oil tanker that exploded. On Jan. 5, five people were killed when a fuel tanker lost control and burst into flames in Delta State.
Earlier in the day, Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of President Bola Tinubu, donated 100 million naira ($67,189) to victims of the tanker explosion in Niger State as authorities urged road safety corps to investigate the causes of the tanker explosions in the country.
