Nigeria Tanker Explosion, "Death Toll Rises to 98"

by Kim Jinyeong

Published 21 Jan.2025 17:54(KST)

The death toll from a tanker explosion in north-central Nigeria has risen to 98, according to reports by the Associated Press and others on the 20th (local time).

Earlier, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had reported 70 deaths on the day of the accident, the 18th. On the following day, the 19th, the number increased to 86, but it has risen by another 12 within a day. The number of injured also increased from 55 the previous day to 69, and it was confirmed that 20 nearby shops were destroyed by flames during the accident.

AP Yonhap News

Hussaini Isa, the operations director of NEMA, explained, "The death toll is continuously changing," and "there is a possibility that the number of deaths will continue to rise."

At around 9 a.m. on the 18th, a tanker carrying 60,000 liters of gasoline overturned at the Diko intersection in Suleja, Niger State, Nigeria. During the process of transferring fuel from the overturned tanker to another tanker, the vehicle exploded, and as local residents gathered to siphon fuel, the casualties increased.

Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer and the world's eighth-largest crude oil exporter. However, due to a lack of refining facilities, it relies heavily on imports for most petroleum products. Especially in the first half of 2023, the removal of long-standing fuel subsidies caused gasoline prices to surge, leading to ongoing fuel shortages.

In October last year, a tanker overturned and exploded in Jigawa State in northern Nigeria, resulting in 147 deaths.