More than 100 people were killed and about 50 injured as they rushed to scoop up fuel when a petrol tanker overturned and then exploded.
It happened late on Tuesday evening in Majia, a town in the Taura district of northern Jigawa state, after the driver lost control on a highway, police spokesman Lawan Adam said.
“Residents were collecting fuel from the overturned tanker when the explosion went off, causing a massive inferno,” he said.
Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency chief Dr Haruna Mairiga said 97 people were “incinerated” at the scene, while eight died in hospital.
“If they knew [about the danger]they would not go to fetch [the fuel]” said Dr Mairiga, adding that it took several hours for emergency services to arrive.
Video showed a massive fire and what appeared to be burning bodies scattered around the site.
The use of buckets and cups to collect fuel has become more common amid soaring prices in Africa’s most populous country.
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The injured were taken to hospitals in the towns of Ringim and Hadejia, state police official Lavan Shiisu said.
Tanker accidents are common in Nigeriawhere most freight is transported by road due to lack of an efficient rail system and where traffic rules are loosely enforced in many places.
Police said the driver in Tuesday’s accident was traveling about 68 miles (110 km) from neighboring Kano state.
