30 passengers, 50 cows burnt alive in petrol tanker accident

No fewer than 30 passengers and 50 cattle were on Sunday burnt alive when a petrol tanker loaded with Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) exploded after a head-on collision with a trailer along Agaie-Lapai highway in Niger state.

The accident, according to Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) which confirmed the development, occured at about 12:30am on Sunday at Dendo village, two kilometers from Agaie town the headquarters of Agaie local government area of state.

NSEMA in a statement by the public relation officer, Allhassan Idris in Minna on Sunday, said the incident occurred when the petrol tanker collided with a trailer truck loaded with travellers and cattle from wudil in kano state and heading to lagos.

He disclosed that two other vehicles, a crane truck and a pickup van were also caught in the incident, stressing that "Over 30 people are already confirmed dead, with over 50 cattle burnt alive".

He stated further that NSEMA Rapid Respond Team (RRT) in conjunction with other relevant agency have arrived at the scene of the accident with a view to conducting search and response operation as more dead bodies are said to be still trapped inside the burnt trucks.