ABUJA, Nigeria—The death toll from a gasoline tanker explosion in north-central Nigeria has risen to 98, the country’s emergency response agency said Monday.
The blast happened in the early hours of Saturday near the Suleja area of Niger state after individuals attempted to transfer gasoline from a crashed oil tanker into another truck using a generator.
The fuel transfer sparked the explosion, resulting in the deaths of those transferring the gasoline and bystanders.
Hussaini Isah, the National Emergency Management Agency’s head of operation for Niger State, told the Associated Press on Monday that there is a possibility that the death toll could still rise.
“The death toll keeps changing,” he said.
On Sunday, Isah said the blast claimed many victims because a crowd had gathered at the scene, including people taking pictures, bystanders and others attempting to scoop gasoline.
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