Death count in Niger tanker explosion increases, other victims nursing varying degrees of burns
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
At least 96 people have now died from the tanker explosion in Niger State on Saturday, with 10 new victims recorded since the mass burial of 86 on Sunday.
The explosion occurred when residents tried to collect leaking fuel from an overturned tanker, which ignited, killing those at the scene, including rescuers.
Ten more victims severely burnt from the explosion along Dikko junction in Gurara Council in Niger died by Monday.
Seven passed on at the General Hospital, Suleja and three at the General Hospital, Sabon-Wuse, according to Niger Governor’s Special Adviser on Digital Communications, Abdulberqy Ebbo, disclosed the figures on his social media page.
He said at the General Hospital, Suleja, out of the 43 patients admitted, seven died, three were satisfactorily discharged to recuperate at homes, 10 were referred for specialist care in Abuja, and the remaining 23 are receiving treatment with varying degree of burns.
Ebbo added that at the General Hospital, Sabon-Wuse, 23 patients were initially admitted; three died, 19 patient relatives signed a consent form to be discharged against medical advice, and only one patient in a critical state is awaiting evacuation to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja.
He also disclosed that
- An 18-man multi-disciplinary medical team from the Ministry of Health led by the Commissioner of Secondary and Tertiary Healthcare, Tukur Bello; Special Adviser on Health, Shehu Ahmed; and Special Adviser on Special Duties, Murtala Bagana; are providing urgent medical relief to the victims.
- Upon assessment of the conditions of the patients, it was agreed that they would require intensive care, which was why some of them have been referred to tertiary healthcare facilities in Abuja.
- Niger Governor Mohammed Bago directed that free medical services and sufficient health workers be deployed to all the sites where the patients are being managed.
The death toll had risen to 86 on Sunday, with 55 others injured and undergoing treatment.
Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Director General, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, gave the update, saying most victims were buried in a mass grave.
“A total of 86 persons have been confirmed dead, with their remains recovered and buried. Eighty were buried in a mass grave at the Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre premises, five were claimed by their families for burial, and one died at the Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre,” Baba-Arah explained.
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