Eight people burn to death in southern Nigeria after gasoline tanker explosion, authorities say
By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s road safety agency says eight people were burned to death after a tanker carrying gasoline exploded. The victims were trying to extract the much sought-after fuel from the tanker that was involved in an accident on Sunday. Authorities said the driver lost control of the tanker before it veered off the road and crashed. None of the victims could be identified on Monday as they were burned beyond recognition. Scooping fuel from tanker accident scenes is common in Nigeria particularly since the price of gasoline more than doubled since June 1 after the government ended the decades-long gasoline subsidies. The road safety agency is seeking stricter penalties to avoid future accidents.
