At least 23 people have been killed’ after a petrol tanker overturned and caught fire on a busy road in the central Nigerian state of Kogi.
The tanker lost control on Wednesday and
collided with five cars, three tricycles and two motorcycles on the Lokoja
Abuja Highway.
According to local media, it allegedly
fell on one of the five cars in a family, crushing them to death before they
erupted into flames.
Federal Road Safety Corporation Kogi State
Sector Commander Idris Fika Ali confirmed that 23 people were killed’ and one
child was injured’ in the blast.
He added that the occupants of the 10
vehicles involved were’ killed.
"The deaths of 23 people, as
confirmed by the Federal Road Safety Commission, represent another disturbing
and tragic incident that is lurking in our country," President Muhammad Buhari
said in a statement.
"I am deeply saddened by the
frequency of these unfortunate and large-scale tragedies in the country, which
lead to unwarranted deaths," he added.
Bisi Kazeem, a spokesman for the Federal
Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said nine children were involved in the crash, which
occurred in front of a petrol station along the highway.
Traffic accidents are common in Nigeria,
where roads are illegal and safety standards are poor.
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