Benue: Scores feared dead in tanker explosion

Scores of people have been feared dead on Monday following the explosion of a petroleum tanker in Ahumbe village along Makurdi-Aliade-Otukpo federal highway in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State.

Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Benue State, Aliyu Baba, told our correspondent in Makurdi by telephone that at least, 10 dead bodies were already on ground while over 50 people were affected.

Baba, who was at the scene of incident during the telephone conversation, said that those affected by the fire were already evacuated to various hospitals within the town for immediate medical attention.

He explained that the tanker fell in a neighbourhood where several shops were located, stressing that the fire spread to those buildings.

As the time of this report, the sector commander said he could not yet ascertain the actual number of the dead persons because the fire was still burning from the nozzle of the tanker.

Some locals, who witnessed the incident in the area, narrated that the petroleum tanker, loaded with fuel, was heading towards Makurdi, probably from the eastern part of the country when it tumbled as it tried to avoid a pothole at Ahumbe village.