Three people have been confirmed dead and several others injured as a fuel laden tanker exploded in Suleja, Niger state.
At least 19 vehicles were also said to have been burnt in the inferno. The explosion occurred on Friday night at Dikko junction on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway. One person was burnt to death during the explosion while the other two died at the hospital.
The cause of the explosion remains unknown. The corpse of the deceased was deposited in the morgue at the Umaru Musa Hospital, Sabon Wuse, while those injured are also receiving treatment at the same facility.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ahmed Inga who confirmed the incident said “We received a report from our Suleja desk officer that there was a tanker explosion and many people were affected.
We cannot give the actual number of people that lost their lives, we will confirm that during our assessment; but from the report of our Suleja desk officer, one person died in the incident. Many people were injured and several vehicles were completely burnt.”
He added that the Federal and state fire services have been able to bring the fire under control.