Admin l Monday, May 06, 2019
NIAMEY, Niger – A petroleum tanker laden with premium motor spirits(PMS) has exploded near Niamey, Niger, killing about 58 people, the authority in Niger has said. The accident occurred at RN1 road that links the Diori Hamani international airport to Niamey.
The fuel tanker according to the authority lost control when it tried to park near a railway and toppled in the process.
Thirty-seven people were also said to have been injured in the resulting explosion which occurred on Sunday evening. Most of those injured have been admitted in hospital, while President Mahamadou Issoufou has visited to comfort them.
One eyewitness told Agence France-Presse: “Just before midnight I went out and I saw the truck overturned. People came from everywhere to take gas, then I saw fire on its side and everything burst into flames.”
Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum has attributed the explosion to a spark from one of the motorcycles that had gathered at the scene when the truck toppled.