The Victims of the Tuesday Tanker explosion at Essa in Katcha local government area of Niger state have been transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja, even as a Mass burial was conducted for 28 dead victims, with the death toll rising to 39.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the injured victims with a high degree of burns were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, immediately. Still, it was discovered that the injured victims needed more advanced medical attention.
The leader of the government delegation to ensure the victims received adequate medical attention, Special Adviser, Special Duties to Governor Mohammed Bago, said that 17 victims had already been evacuated to the National Hospital, Abuja, for advanced treatment.
He said 23 injured victims were admitted to Federal Medical Centre FMC Bida, 8 to Bida General Hospital, and some with minor injuries were admitted to health centres around Essa.
The Special Adviser said Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago had given them directives to ensure the victims receive the best medical attention possible.
He said the state government had contacted the federal government, and arrangements were made to give the victims expeditious treatment at the National Hospital.
Meanwhile, he also disclosed that four more victims of the explosion died in the hospital, while 28 of the victims were given a “dignified Mass burial”, bringing the total number of people who died so far to 39.
The Chief Medical Director of FMC Bida, Dr Abubakar Usman, said in an interview that the hospital examined the severity of the burns and discovered that the 23 victims referred to the centre should be taken to the National Hospital.
He said, “We look at the severity of every medical condition. We graded the severity, and our centre could treat only 50-degree burns. But of the 23 referred to this centre, none had less than 70 degrees burnt, so we referred them to the burnt Centre at the National hospital.”
Similarly, a relation of one of the victims, Mohammed Usman, recalled how the incident affected two of his relations, “it was a bandwagon attraction, my brother followed his friends, and they went to scoop from the tanker unknowingly. The next thing we saw were burnt bodies being conveyed by Okada”.
A Tanker Driver, Musa Shuaibu, who witnessed the explosion, said a bad road caused the accident. Still, the deaths recorded would have been avoided if the villagers had heeded their advice to stop scooping petroleum products.
“An Accident occurs on that spot every time, and we always advise them not to scoop fuel. Last Sunday, they scooped groundnut oil they gained from it and decided to repeat the same thing by scooping fuel yesterday (Tuesday).”
He said immediately it happened, they mobilised Commercial Motorcycle operators to start evacuating some of the victims to Bida for medical attention before Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC and Niger State Emergency Management Agency NSEMA officials arrived. Even at that, he said most of the 80 people involved in the accident suffered severe burns.
Northern Governors Mourn Victims of Niger Tanker Explosion
Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) has expressed sadness over the fuel tanker explosion, which claimed dozens of lives in Essa community of Katcha local government area of Niger State.
The forum’s chairman and governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, conveyed the members’ condolences to the government and people of Niger State, particularly to the bereaved families and Governor Mohammed Umar Bago.
He said, “This tragedy is profoundly distressing and painful. Our thoughts and prayers are with every family affected by this catastrophic incident, as well as the government and people of Niger State in this moment of grief.”
In a statement issued yesterday by Yahaya’s media aide, Isma’ila Uba Misilli, the governors called for heightened safety awareness and more vigorous regulatory enforcement in storing, transporting, and managing petroleum products and other flammable substances.
They also cautioned the public against the dangers of scooping fuel and engaging in other hazardous acts during such incidents.
“This unfortunate occurrence underscores the urgent need for improved safety standards and greater public awareness of the dangers associated with the transportation of combustible materials. Governments, regulatory agencies, and the public must work together to prevent avoidable tragedies of this nature,” Governor Yahaya added.
However, he commended emergency responders, security personnel, and volunteers who worked tirelessly to rescue victims and provide relief, noting that their swift intervention helped mitigate the scale of the disaster.
While praying for the repose of the souls of the deceased and speedy recovery of the injured, the northern governors said they would continue to work with relevant federal and state agencies to strengthen preventive and responsive systems to safeguard lives and livelihoods in the region.
