Death toll from Nigeria fuel tanker explosion reaches 98

The death toll from a weekend fuel truck blast in Nigeria has reached 98 after more bodies were recovered from the wreckage on Monday, the head of the regional emergency agency said, adding 69 people were receiving treatment in hospital.

A petrol truck overturned and exploded on Saturday in Dikko, northern Niger State, killing people who had gone to scoop up fuel from the wreckage.

Abdullahi Baba-Ara, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency said earlier 80 of the victims were buried in mass grave at a health centre in Dikko over the weekend.

"After clearing the wreckage of the Dikko tanker, we discovered an additional 12 corpses today, which puts the death toll now at 98," he told Reuters.

Fuel prices are up

Saturday's accident is the deadliest since a similar one in the state of Jigawa in October, which killed 147 people.

Such accidents have become common in Africa's largest oil producer, which is grappling with its worst cost of living crisis in a generation.

The price of fuel has soared since 2023 when President Bola Tinubu ended a petrol subsidy as part of a package of economic reforms.

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