Tanker explodes, killing at least 12

A tanker crashed then later exploded and caught fire in northern Nigeria, killing at least 12 people who had rushed to the scene to scoop fuel from the damaged vehicle, a local official said Monday.

 As residents swarmed the crashed truck, a spark “led to a huge explosion from the tanker which killed 12 people,” said Obana Jatau, the head of Ganigaku village in Adamawa state, where the accident occurred on Sunday. He said the tanker had skidded off the road and overturned when the driver attempted to avoid a pothole.

 Local media said up to 30 people died in the fire, though the figure could not be confirmed. Adamawa state police spokesman Nemuel Yoila confirmed the incident, but could not give details of casualties. Petrol tanker accidents are common in oil-rich Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation where fuel is distributed with trucks on poorly maintained roads.

 Residents often seek to take fuel from such accidents either for personal use or to sell on the black market in a country where most people live on less than $2 per day. Last month, six people were killed and several injured when a petrol tanker caught fire on a road in the oil hub of Port Harcourt.

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Family loses four children to petrol explosion in Ebonyi

Four children of one Mr. Godwin Nwodom of Opefia village in Izzi local government area of Ebonyi State were last Sunday burnt to death, following an unfortunate fire disaster.

Sources close to the family revealed that the tragedy struck when a kerosene lantern in the house caught fire while Mrs. Nwodom was trying to dispense fuel to a customer.

The inferno, which razed down the three bed room apartment belonging to Mr. Nwodom, also destroyed other property worth millions of naira.

Accordingly, the situation also left the mother of the four children, Mrs. Ijeoma Nwodom, with serious injuries as she is currently in a hospital receiving treatment.

Mr. Nwodom, who wept uncontrollably, stated that the inferno had rendered him, his surviving wife and other survivors hopeless in life, and called on the state government to come to their aid as all their properties had been lost due to the inferno.

Chairman, Izzi local government area, Chief Dustan Nwogbaga, who commiserated with the family of the deceased, called on the survivors to take solace in God who he said was the best comforter.

Nwogbaga described the incident as unfortunate and advised people to avoid storing fuel in their homes as such was capable of causing disaster in the state.

He presented five fathoms of wrappers, four bushels of rice, 10 bundles of zinc, a bag of beans and N100, 000 to the family.

A member of the family, Mr. Andrew Nwodom, who commended the council chairman for coming to their aid in such a critical time, said though the pains of losing four children was difficult to forget, they would still anchor their hope in God.

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