No fewer than 30 passengers and 50 cattle were burned alive on Sunday following a tragic collision between a petrol tanker and a trailer on the Agaie-Lapai highway in Niger State. The tanker, loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), exploded after the head-on collision, causing widespread devastation.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed the incident, which occurred around 12:30 a.m. at Dendo village, just two kilometers from Agaie town, the headquarters of Agaie Local Government Area.
In a statement issued by NSEMA’s Public Relations Officer, Allhassan Idris, the agency revealed that the tanker collided with a trailer carrying passengers and cattle from Wudil in Kano State, en route to Lagos. Two other vehicles, including a crane truck and a pickup van, were also engulfed in the inferno.
“Over 30 people have already been confirmed dead, with more than 50 cattle burnt alive,” Idris stated.
NSEMA’s Rapid Response Team, along with other relevant agencies, has been dispatched to the scene to conduct search and rescue operations, as more bodies are believed to be trapped inside the charred remains of the vehicles.
