Investigation body, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), disclosed that it has commenced investigation to unravel the immediate causes of the tragic accident when a petrol tanker exploded at Majia town, Taura local government area of Jigawa state on Tuesday in which over a hundred people lost their lives.
Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance of the agency, Bimbo Oladeji in an electronic statement, disclosed that the incident occurred at about 11pm following a petrol tanker driver en route from Kano to Nguru in Yobe state, lost control and rammed into a barrier causing spillages that was engits inflammable contents.
According to Bimbo, the accident was aggravated by residents who rushed to scoop the spilled contents leading to the huge loss of lives.
The statement read “In line with our mandate to investigate accidents across all transportation sectors, the NSIB has deployed a go-team of experts to investigate the accident. The team will assess the circumstances surrounding the crash and the explosion to identify causal factors and provide safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families affected by this devastating accident. The NSIB is committed to uncovering the cause of the explosion and ensuring that safety lessons are learned,” the statement quoted Captain Alex Badeh Jr., Director General of the NSIB.
It added that “Further updates on the investigation will be communicated as the NSIB team gathers and analyses evidence from the scene. In the meantime, citizens are reminded of the grave danger posed by scooping fuel from tanker accidents and are urged to avoid such scenes.”
Meanwhile, more victims of the tanker explosion have died while receiving treatment, raising the death toll to 153.
The police had earlier tallied 105 deaths from the explosion which occurred late Tuesday evening in Majia in the Taura local government area of the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Lawan Adam, said 153 people had lost their lives in the accident as of Thursday.
Adam said about 100 victims were taken from the scene to hospitals in Kano, Nguru in Yobe state, and Dutse, Jahun, Hadejia, and Gumel in Jigawa.
Meanwhile, a delegation sent by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday condoled with families of the deceased persons in Majia town after visiting some of the victims at the Rasheed Shekoni Specialists Hospital in Dutse.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, who led the delegation, said the president was saddened by the loss of lives and directed an immediate investigation of the incident.
“So many lives have been lost, and we have visited some of the survivors in the hospital. The President himself had directed an immediate investigation of what happened by the Federal Road Safety Corps,” Akume said.
“Not just this particular incident but other similar ones in the country. The whole purpose is to reduce the number of fatalities. The President is saddened by the unfortunate development, and he has directed some agencies to move into action.
“He has promised that whatever the state government is doing, the federal government will complement that effort,” Akume added.