LAGOS, Nigeria

Several victims have been confirmed dead as tragedy struck Saturday in Nigeria when a petrol tanker exploded, according to officials.

Multiple sources told Anadolu that widespread panic affected six other vehicles when the fuel-laden tanker fell while navigating down a hilly busy expressway in Enugu State.

Witnesses who shared video of the scene with Anadolu’s correspondent added that no fewer than 15 people, including three children, have been confirmed dead.

The Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in the state, Franklin Agbakoba Onyekwere, said he was at the scene but is yet to provide the number of victims.

The explosion occurred barely a week after 98 people died in a tanker explosion in northern Niger State.

Anadolu reported that Nigeria has experienced 172 oil tanker accidents and 1,896 deaths since 2009. 2024 saw the highest death toll, with 266 fatalities.

Since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023, Nigeria has reported 28 oil tanker accidents, resulting in 468 deaths, accounting for more than 15% of all accidents and nearly 25% of the fatalities recorded since 2009.

Disturbed by the number of fatalities in repeated incidents, Tinubu recently set up a high-powered committee that is mandated to halt a reoccurrence of the accidents.

He ordered security agencies and road safety authorities to work toward averting incessant explosions.