A fuel tanker explosion in Central Nigeria has killed at least 25 people.
Schoolchildren are reported among those killed when the tanker exploded after a collision with other vehicles.
Police in the area say the crash happened on Wednesday morning on a major highway in Lokoja when the driver lost control of the tanker after the brakes failed.
Lokoja police spokesman Willy Aya said that several victims were burnt beyond recognition.
Many of them were pedestrians, including the students who were crossing the road to go to college.
Others who died included a group who were killed inside their car.
Eyewitnesses told local news outlet Channels TV that over 50 people may have been killed in the blaze, including some residents who were waiting to board commercial vehicles by the roadside.
Social media images from the site of the incident show a huge plume of black smoke rising into the air.
The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has expressed shock and sorrow over the incident in a statement.
His spokesperson, Onogwu Muhammed said in a statement that the governor expressed his condolence to the families of those affected.
“It is very sad to learn of the tragic loss of lives, many vehicles, property and other valuables in the petrol tanker fire,” he said.
Such explosions have become very common in Nigeria in recent years.
In June, four people were killed in the country’s biggest city, Lagos, after two petrol tankers collided. The fire then spread to another tanker carrying natural gas.
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Source: Africafeeds.com
