‘We’ll never forget’: Town grieves after deadly Nigeria fuel tanker blast
Al Jazeera
Survivors and relatives try to find peace after 170 mostly young people died after a tanker exploded in Jigawa State.
Majia, Nigeria – Days after a fuel tanker explosion killed 170 mostly young people in Majia, a farming town in northern Nigeria’s Jigawa State, the close-knit community is still reeling from the overwhelming loss.
“It was a terrible situation that we have never witnessed in this town; many people lost their lives,” local businessman Mustapha Abdullahi told Al Jazeera.
“In my family, we lost about 52 people – all blood relatives.”
It was about 11pm on Tuesday when a tanker that was transporting fuel from neighbouring Kano State swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle, then overturned, according to witnesses.
The petrol started flowing out of the tanker, and passersby and residents rushed over with bottles to collect what had spilled on the ground and through nearby drains.
