Majia tanker crash: Fire kills 153 people in Nigeria searching for fuel after accident

People who had rushed to the scene to collect the leaking petrol were engulfed in flames.

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The fire engulfed the vehicle, which had been cordoned off by officers after it crashed in Jigawa state, the police told the BBC.

About 100 other people injured in the explosion have been taken to hospitals in the region, many of them in critical condition.

Officers had warned people not to approach the tanker after the accident late on Tuesday night, but they were unable to contain the growing crowd, said police spokesman Lawal Shiisu Adam.

"We tried our best to stop people going to the vehicle to get petrol but despite cordoning [off] the area, we were overpowered and as people were scooping fuel, fire erupted," he told the BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gl5zye65ro

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