By Felix Durumbah
A major tragedy rocked Niger state, North-Central Nigeria, on Saturday, January 18, as about 100 persons were roasted to death following a petrol tanker explosion along Dikko-Maje road, Suleja Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
The heart-rending incident happened opposite Badeggi fuelling station in Dikko town,near Suleja.
A video of the blaze obtained by peopleandpolitics.net showed the remains of bodies charred by fire, the flesh obviously peeled and blackened by fire.
Some were burnt beyond recognition.
The 1 minute six second video also showed huge fires in more than one spot in the location,thick, dark smoke ferociously billowing from the scene into the sky in daylight.
Horror was visibly etched on what remained of the faces of most of the victims who lay spread, prostrate on the ground,which itself was coloured black by the raging inferno which licked almost everything on its path.
A male narrator, who appeared to be on the scene of the incident and captured the sight on camera, said over 100 persons were burnt to death in the fire,which erupted after a petrol-laden tanker fell.
According to the narrator, one of the victims was “an officer”, though he did not say which of the security or paramilitary agencies the male figure shown in the video belonged.
The video also showed burnt items which seemed to be zinc stalls in the area.
However, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna, the state capital, reports that Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Commander in Niger State, Mr. Kumar Tsukwam, confirmed the incident.
Narrating how it happened, the FRSC chief said a loaded petrol tanker fell at the scene of the incident, spilling fuel.
Thereafter, people gathered and began scooping the fuel,he added.
Tsukwam said those scooping fuel were engulfed in the inferno while same fate affected good Samaritans who went to rescue them.
According to him, more than 50 persons lost their lives in the tragedy.
But the FRSC Commander assured that his men and those of sister agencies were on ground, working to rescue those trapped in the fire and possibly retrieve items that could be reached.
Also speaking, Director General (DG), Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said the explosion occurred about 9am.
He said it happened when a tanker loaded with petrol crashed, after which a move was made to transfer its liquid contents to another tanker.
According to Baba-Arah, it was in the process of the transfer that the petrol, which is usually highly inflammable, came into contact with a generator used to facilitate the transfer, setting off an explosion that claimed the lives.
He said his agency in collaboration with others was working to normalize the situation.
Baba-Arah disclosed that those injured have been taken to hospital for treatment even as moves were ongoing to recover the burnt corpses of victims.