Oil tanker fire kills 12 in Nigeria

ABUJA, January 14, 2019 – At least 12 people have been killed in an oil tanker fire in Nigeria’s Cross River state, local and international media reported over the weekend.

The victims had been gathering fuel leaking from the overturned tanker when it exploded, Vanguard newspaper reported.

“We have recovered 12 corpses and taken 22 persons with serious burns to hospital,” police spokeswoman Irene Ugbo told UK daily The Guardian. Witnesses estimated 60 people had been killed.

Governor Ben Ayade has pledged the state will begin a campaign to educate citizens on the dangers of gathering fuel from tankers after accidents.