Fuel tanker explosion kills scores of people in northwestern Nigeria

At least 94 people were killed and 50 others injured when a truck carrying fuel exploded in northwestern Nigeria, police have said.

The tanker exploded along the Kano-Hadejia expressway in the local government area of Taura in Jigawa state, police spokesman Lawan Adamu said on Wednesday.

He added that the incident occurred on Tuesday night, with the tanker triggering a massive fire that burned until 3.15 am (0215GMT) on Wednesday.

Last month, Nigeria experienced a similar explosion when a fuel tanker collided head-on with another truck, causing an explosion that killed at least 48 people.

The fuel tanker was also carrying cattle in the Agaie area in north-central Niger state, and at least 50 of them were burned alive, Abdullahi Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said.