UPDATE: Death toll in Nigeria’s tanker explosion rises to 153

By Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu​​​​​​​

KANO, Nigeria (AA) - Nigeria Police Force confirmed Wednesday that the death toll from a tanker explosion rose to 153.

Police spokesman in Jigawa State, Lawal Adam, told Anadolu that 100 people were hospitalized at various facilities.

He said the explosion occurred on an expressway in Jigawa state in northwestern Nigeria.

The disaster, according to the police, was triggered by residents who had rushed to scoop petrol that had spilled after the tanker overturned.

The zonal coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nura Abdullahi, told the Turkish news agency that a mass funeral was held in Majiya town of the Taura local government.

The head of the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency, Haruna Mairiga, put the death toll at 153.

Mairiga added that the victims were burned to ashes beyond recognition at the scene of the blast.

President Bola Tinubu demanded a comprehensive review of fuel transportation safety protocols across Nigeria following the accident.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on behalf of Tinubu, sympathized with the families of those killed in the accident and prayed that God would grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.