Petrol tanker explosion in Nigeria kills scores

The incident took place on the Lokoja-Abuja highway when a petrol tanker loaded with premium motor spirit lost control and rammed into five cars, three tricycles and two motorbikes.

A man inspects the damage at the site of a gas tanker explosion in the central Nigerian state of Kogi, Nigeria September 23, 2020.
Reuters

A man inspects the damage at the site of a gas tanker explosion in the central Nigerian state of Kogi, Nigeria September 23, 2020.

At least 28 people were killed after a fuel tanker crashed in Nigeria’s central state of Kogi, local media reported.

The incident took place on the Lokoja-Abuja highway on Wednesday after a petrol tanker loaded with premium motor spirit lost control and rammed into five cars, three tricycles and two motorbikes.

The tanker reportedly fell on one of the five cars which was carrying a family, crushing them to death, before the tanker burst into flames, Nigeria's This Day website reported.

Providing details on the incident, Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp, Idris Fika Ali, confirmed that at least 28 people were killed in the explosion while one child survived with injuries.

He went on to say that the occupants of the 10 vehicles involved had been killed.

Route 6