John Adams , Abuja
Early evening fuel tanker accident have claimed the lives of no fewer than eight people while several others sustained various degree of injuries in Kutigi Town in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State.
The accident which occurred on Monday evening at about 8:30pm, involved three utility vehicles.
The two fuel tankers involved in the accident were traveling in opposite directions when they had a head on collusion some few meters from Kutigi town.
The drivers of the fuel tankers and their conductors were among the dead, including some passengers in an open truck which was also trapped in the accident.
Daily Sun gathered that one of the fuel trucks was traveling from Bida to Mokwa ,and another from Mokwa to Bida, when they collided in a sharp bend, resulting in the vehicles bursting into flames.
An open truck which was trying to overtake one of the fuel tankers, lost control and ran into a ditch and all the occupants were burnt to death.
A witness told Daily Sun that: “Some of the victims died in the hospital. The fuel from the two tankers spilled on the open truck which went into flames ,burning all the occupants to death.
Although villagers made frantic efforts to rescue some of the passengers, but the inferno over whelmed them.
The house of the state commissioner for Works and Infrastructural Development, Mr Nda Panti, was among three buildings that were burnt as a result of the accident.
Director-General Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Ahmed Ibrahim Inga, said:
“I am just arriving Kutigi with the deputy governor, I will give you the details later” .