At least 55 people killed after tanker truck explosion in Niamey, Niger – reports

Fifty-five people died in Niger’s capital Niamey overnight after an overturned tanker truck exploded as crowds tried to collect spilt fuel, AFP reported on Monday, citing authorities and witnesses.

The blast on the RN1 route near Niamey’s international airport left the burnt truck’s wreckage, motorbikes and debris scattered over the road. Nearby houses were also damaged by fire.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson said that 36 people were injured. Witnesses said people were trying to collect petrol leaking from the truck, which had overturned on railway tracks, when the explosion happened.