The Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday confirmed that the death toll from the petrol tanker explosion rose to 153.
Also, the head of the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency, Haruna Mairiga, puts the death toll at 153.
Mairiga added that the victims were burned to ashes beyond recognition at the scene of the blast.
Although yet to be confirmed, teenagers were counted among the deaths. It was gathered that grieving families are still counting some of their members who have not returned home since the disaster on occurred.
The disaster, according to the police, was triggered by residents who had rushed to scoop petrol that had spilled after the tanker overturned.
The police spokesman in Jigawa State, Lawal Adam, told Anadolu that 100 people were hospitalized at various facilities.
He said the explosion occurred on an expressway in Jigawa state in northwestern Nigeria.
The zonal coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nura Abdullahi, told the Turkish news agency that a mass funeral was held in Majiya town of the Taura local government.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive review of fuel transportation safety protocols across Nigeria following the accident. (With Agency Report)
