A tanker explosion in Karamin Rami village, Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, has left seven people dead and one injured, the state’s emergency agency confirmed on Friday, March 7.
The deceased were identified as Rafiatu Sahabi, Ramlat Shehu, Rashida Abdullahi Raliya, Abdulrahman, Zainab Ahmed, Zuwaira Idrisu, and Maryam Nura. The only survivor, Maimuna Isah, is receiving treatment at Saho Rami Primary Health Care Centre.
Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), said the incident occurred on Monday, 4 March, at about 6:30 p.m.
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He explained that the tanker, struggling to navigate a bad road with no shoulders, overturned and spilt its load of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) into a nearby stream.
According to Baba-Arah, the fuel came into contact with a water pump used by dry-season farmers, triggering a fire that spread back to the tanker and caused an explosion.
The resulting inferno extended through the contaminated stream water, engulfing farmlands, injuring farmers, and destroying rice fields, fruit crops, and vegetation.