‘Painful and unfortunate’ — Umar Bago commiserates with victims of Niger tanker explosion

Umar Bago, governor of Niger, has mourned the lives lost in a recent tanker explosion.

On Sunday, at least 48 people were confirmed dead after a petrol tanker exploded at Dendo, Agaie LGA of Niger state.

In a statement by Bologi Ibrahim, his chief press secretary, Bago expressed pain over the “unfortunate incident”.

“The farmer Governor prays that Allah will repose the souls of the departed and grant quick recovery to those injured,” the statement reads.

“He calls for calm by the residents of the affected area, and also enjoins road users to always be cautious and abide by road traffic regulations to safeguard lives and property.”

Abdullahi Baba-Arab, director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), said the tanker was involved in a head-on collision with a trailer loaded with cattle.

Baba-Arab said two other vehicles — a crane truck and a pickup van — were also caught in the explosion.

“Over 30 people are already confirmed dead, with over 50 cattle burnt alive,” he said.

“NSEMA’s Rapid Response Team (RRT), in conjunction with LGEMCs, is still on the scene of the incident conducting search and rescue operations, as more corpses are still trapped inside the trucks.”