Death Toll in Nigeria Gas Tanker Explosion Rises to 98

Firefighters extinguish fire from a tanker that exploded in Suleja, Nigeria, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Arise News)

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN

3:11 PM EST, January 20, 2025

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The death toll from a gasoline tanker explosion in north-central Nigeria has risen to 98, the country’s emergency response agency said Monday.

The blast happened in the early hours of Saturday near the Suleja area of Niger state after individuals attempted to transfer gasoline from a crashed oil tanker into another truck using a generator.

The fuel transfer sparked the explosion, resulting in the deaths of those transferring the gasoline and bystanders.

Hussaini Isah, the National Emergency Management Agency’s head of operation for Niger State, told the Associated Press on Monday that there is a possibility that the death toll could still rise.

“The death toll keeps changing,” he said.

On Sunday, Isah said the blast claimed many victims because a crowd had gathered at the scene, including people taking pictures, bystanders and others attempting to scoop gasoline.

Gasoline prices in Africa’s most populous country have soared after the administration of President Bola Tinubu removed subsidies on the product more than a year ago in an attempt to channel the resources to more developmental purposes. However, the policy has caused untoward hardship.

Scooping gasoline from a fallen tanker is common in Nigeria as some people see it as an opportunity to get free product that they could either use or resell for a profit.