No fewer than 30 people were confirmed dead, and over 50 cattle were burnt following a truck explosion laden with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in the Angie Local Government Area of Niger State. The incident occurred at about 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, along the Lapai-Agaie road, approximately two kilometers from Dendo Community in Agaie LGA of the state.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Hon. Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed the incident in a press statement made available to journalists in Minna, the state capital.
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According to Baba Arah, the explosion happened when a petrol tanker loaded with PMS collided with an open-body truck carrying travelers and livestock (cattle) from Wudil in Kano State, en route to Lagos. Two other vehicles—a crane truck and a pickup van—were also caught in the unfortunate fire.
He further noted that over 30 people had already been confirmed dead, with more than 50 cattle burnt alive. NSEMA’s Rapid Response Team (RRT), in conjunction with Local Government Emergency Management Committees, was still at the scene conducting search and rescue operations, as several corpses remained trapped inside the trucks.
