72 People Severely Injured in Kano Tanker Explosion

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

No fewer than 72 people have sustained various degrees of injuries as a result of a fire outbreak at a filling station in Sharada Gadar Yan mata of Kano metropolitan.

The inferno occurred on Saturday as a result of explosion of an underground tank when a tanker was discharging petrol at the filling station.

The spokesman of the Kano State Fire Service, Mr Saminu Yusuf Abdullahi told journalists yesterday that about 72 people, including eight fire fighters, passers-by and staff of the filling station were severely burnt.

The incident occurred when a petrol tanker with registration number: NSR 183 XW carrying 66,000 litres of petrol caught fire, with 56 victims affected.

According to him, after the fire was controlled by fire fighters, one of the filling station staff ignorantly opened one of the tanker compartments.

He said this reignited the fire, leading to an explosion, which trapped the 72 victims, who were severely burnt.

Reacting to the incident, Kano State Commissioner for Works and Housing, Alhaji Idris Garba Unguwar Rimi, pointed out that some staff of the Kano State Fire Service who were at the filling station to put off the fire were injured and are currently receiving treatment at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.

The commissioner attributed the accident to negligence as filling stations were prohibited from offloading petroleum products in the afternoon.

However, emergency and relief team of the Red Cross Society Kano Office were sighted rendering first aid services and evacuating the victims to the hospital