Yenagoa, Nigeria — At least eight people were killed when a fuel truck exploded along the Ore-Benin expressway in southwestern Nigeria as residents were trying to siphon petrol out of it, police disclosed today.
The truck was involved in an accident on Sunday night along the Ore-Benin Expressway of Ondo state which caused it to veer off the road and topple on its side, the police said.
“Some people went there to scoop fuel, in the process the tanker exploded,” said Ondo state police spokesman Fumilayo Odunlami-Omisanya.
The price of petrol has more than tripled since the removal of a decades-old subsidy at the end of May, hitting motorists and households and small businesses who use petrol generators for power.
*Tife Owolabi, MacDonald Dzirutwe, editing: Miral Fahmy – Reuters
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