7 killed, one injured in Niger fuel tanker explosion

At least seven people were killed and one injured in a tanker explosion at Karamin Rami village in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State on Tuesday.

The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday in Minna.

He said the explosion occurred at about 6:30 p.m. when a tanker attempting to maneuver on a bad road without shoulders overturned and spilled its content—Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)—into a nearby stream.

He said the PMS came into contact with a water pump used by dry-season farmers on their rice fields, ignited a fire that spread back to the tanker, and caused an explosion.

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The D-G added that the inferno extended to farmlands through the contaminated stream water, burnt some farmers, and destroyed rice fields, fruit crops, and vegetation.

The seven victims were Rafiatu Sahabi, Ramlat Shehu, Rashida Abdullahi Raliya, Abdulrahman, Zainab Ahmed, Zuwaira Idrisu, and Maryam Nura.

Baba-Arah also confirmed that the injured victim, Maimuna Isah, was receiving treatment at the Saho Rami Primary Health Care Centre in the state.

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