The Jigawa State Police Command has linked the significant number of fatalities and injuries from Tuesday’s fuel tanker explosion to the frantic efforts of residents to collect the spilled fuel from the ground following the incident.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Lawan Shiisu, conveyed this information in a voicemail sent to reporters in Kano on Wednesday.
He stated, “In spite of the police’s attempts to secure the area and alert the public, individuals defied the warnings and began to collect the fuel, which led to a catastrophic explosion.”
Shiisu further mentioned that the police had a hard time maintaining order at the scene, as numerous onlookers disregarded the cautions and approached the accident site recklessly.
“The tanker, loaded with petrol, ignited shortly after the crash, causing an inferno that engulfed numerous people in the vicinity.
“The injured were immediately rushed to General Hospital at Ringim, where medical personnel are working around the clock to treat the victims. However, the death toll is likely to rise as several of the injured remain in critical condition,” he stated.
He mentioned that the Commissioner of Police for the state, AT Abdullahi, has expressed his condolences to the residents, particularly those in Majiya town, where the incident occurred.
He also cautioned individuals to keep their distance from such incident locations to prevent loss of life and damage to property.
He said, “When the accident occurred people started rushing to scoop fuel and in the process, fire ignited from nowhere which led to the death of many persons and injured many others.
He said following the inferno, 94 persons lost their lives on the spot while 50 others that injured were rushed to Ringim General Hospital where doctors are battling to save their lives.
