70 killed after tanker explosion in Nigeria

October 10, 2009 A fuel tanker explosion in Nigeria killed at least seventy people on Saturday, officials have said.

The incident took place in the southern state of Anambra. According to the authorities, the tanker flipped over after driving over a pothole, causing it to ignite. The fire quickly spread to five crowded minibuses nearby.

The death toll is expected to increase as bodies continue to be recovered from the debris.

The head of operations for Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Commission, Ben Ekenna, warned that similar such accidents will happen again if something is not done to improve the poorly-maintained Nigerian road network.

"If something isn't done quickly, tragedies like this will happen again," he said.