Death Toll from Dikko Junction Tanker Explosion Rises to 86
The death toll from the recent petrol tanker explosion at Dikko Junction, Niger State, has tragically increased to 86, with 55 people injured and taken to hospital. The incident occurred on Saturday, and initial reports had placed the death toll at 70, with 50 injured. However, additional bodies have since been recovered, and a mass burial has been conducted in Dikko, Niger State.
Abdullahi Baba-Arah, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), confirmed the updated figures in a statement released on Sunday. He noted that the agency, in collaboration with the Gurara Local Government Area and courageous volunteers, carried out the mass burial from 5 pm to midnight.
"A total of 86 persons have been confirmed dead, with their corpses recovered and buried. Eighty of them were buried in a mass grave at Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre premises, while five were taken by their relatives for burial in the town, and one died at Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre," Baba-Arah stated.
The tragic explosion occurred when a speeding fuel tanker crashed on Saturday morning at Dikko Junction, situated between Niger and Kaduna states. Residents attempting to collect fuel spilling onto the road from the tanker were caught in a massive blaze when it exploded, killing both those collecting fuel and others trying to rescue them.
Meanwhile, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has visited the site of the explosion and issued a ban on vehicles coming from the Maje axis from crossing the Dikko Bridge. The governor's directive, confirmed by his Chief Press Secretary Bologi Ibrahim, emphasizes the need for vehicles to use the underpass and take the appropriate U-turn to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Governor Bago criticized the reckless driving behavior of some drivers and urged the Federal Road Safety Corps to establish a detachment in the area to enforce the new directive. He also called on all relevant transport unions to cooperate with the Road Safety Corps.
The governor expressed his appreciation to NSEMA, the Fire Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the Union of Road Transport Workers for their efforts in evacuating the victims. Additionally, he announced that doctors from Minna hospitals would be redeployed to assist in treating the injured victims currently receiving care at Suleja General Hospital.
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