Fifty-nine people have been confirmed dead in Niger, Nigeria, after a fuel tanker and a truck collided, the state emergency agency reported.
The agency also said the truck was carrying passengers and livestock. The collision occurred at around 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, immediately after an explosion engulfed both vehicles in flames.
The fire from the explosion engulfed other vehicles in the vicinity of the accident.
The agency's director general, Abdullahi Baba-arah, said response teams were immediately dispatched to the scene to carry out rescue operations and manage the scene.
A spokesman for the Niger state emergency unit, Hussain Ibrahim, said BBC that there is a possibility of more deaths.
“The death toll has risen to 59 after one of the seriously injured died in hospital and following further discoveries at the crash site,” Ibrahim said.
“It is also possible that more bodies will be discovered during the evacuation process,” he added.
“This is without a doubt the worst accident we have recorded in many years,” he said.
The spokesman added that Niger is covering the hospitalisation costs of the injured.
Niger State Governor Umaru Bago offered his condolences to the families of the victims, saying he was “pained by the unfortunate incident.”
BBC It is reported that such accidents have become a norm in the country due to the lack of road repairs.
