Several people are feared dead after a fuel-laden tanker exploded on Monday morning in the Dan Magaji area of Zaria, Kaduna State, the latest in a series of fatal tanker incidents on Nigerian roads.

The accident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. near Rochas Foundation School, along the Kaduna–Kano expressway bypass from Kwangila to Dan Magaji., According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, the crash involved two tankers and two passenger-filled Golf cars.

Witnesses said the impact triggered five explosions, followed by a fire that sent heavy smoke over the area., “All the occupants of the cars died on the spot, except one driver who survived but sustained severe burns, ” one witness said., Emergency services, including the fire department and security agencies, have cordoned off the scene. Motorists and pedestrians have been advised to avoid the route as rescue and recovery operations continue.

Authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of casualties., Data compiled between January 2009 and October 2024 shows 169 fuel tanker accidents in Nigeria, resulting in 1, while 2009, and 2014 had the fewest incidents, with three each, according to The Conversation.

This year alone, several large-scale incidents have occurred. In Niger State, five people died in Agbor, Delta State, in another tanker crash. In October 2024, over 150 people were killed in Jigawa State when a tanker exploded in a crowded area., 613 deaths.

The year 2019 recorded the highest toll with 29 accidents and 203 fatalities, 2012, 86 people were killed in January when a tanker exploded. That same month