- Victims given mass burial
Laleye Dipo in Minna
The death toll in Saturday’s petrol tanker explosion at Dikko in Niger state has risen to 86 from 50.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency NSEMA Director General Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah said in a statement this morning that the corpses of the deceased were recovered from the scene of the accident.
Arah said the number of those injured has also risen to 55, adding that one of those injured and admitted at the hospital has also died
According to Arah, 80 corpses have been given mass burial by the agency in collaboration with Gurara LGA and “very brave, kind-hearted volunteers” between the hours of 5pm on Saturday to 12am this Sunday.
He added that 5 of the corpses were taken away for burial in the town by relatives.
Recall that 50 people mostly youths were reported to have initially been burnt to death in the tanker explosion occured on Saturday at Dikko in the Suleja local government of Niger state.
One of those burnt was dressed in the uniform of one of the nations security outfits.
Several houses and shops were also completely razed in the inferno, leading to the loss of millions of naira.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago who was on an inspection visit to the area hurriedly visited the scene of the disaster where he described the incident as “Shocking, unfortunate and worrisome”.
Bago also gave directives that he said will stop future occurrence as well as directed medical doctors from Minna General Hospital to move to New Wuse and Suleja General hospitals to assist in attending to those injured.
An eyewitness had told ThISDAY that the accident occured when a tanker laden with petrol overturned and another tanker was brought to transfer the PMS it was conveying into it.
However, according to the report, youths and some women rushed to the scene to scoop petrol from the overturned tanker when suddenly an explosion occured, resulting in wild fire that engulfed the victims, the two trucks and the entire environment.
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