At least 55 people have been killed in the explosion of a tanker truck in Niger. They had tried to tap gasoline. The accident happened near the airport of Niamey.
In Niger, the explosion of a tanker truck killed at least 55 people and injured at least 37 others. This was announced by Interior Minister Bazoum on Twitter. The injured were taken to hospitals.
The disaster happened near the airport of the capital Niamey. There the truck had overturned near a gas station. Many people have come here and tried to catch fuel.
„Everything was in flames“
„It was just after midnight, when I went outside and saw the truck lying,“ says an eyewitness, according to news agency AFP. People came from „all sides“ to fill gasoline. „Then I saw a fire, everything was on fire.“ Another eyewitness reported a violent bang and many deaths.
The disaster occurred on the RN1 road that leads from Niamey to the southeast of the country. The burned-out truck and other vehicle wrecks are still at the scene of the accident. Even neighboring houses suffered fire damage. The operation of the airport only a few hundred meters away was not disturbed.
