Scores killed in Nigerian tanker crash

LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuters) -- Nigerian newspapers reported on Monday that at least 150 people were killed when a petrol tanker lost control and crashed into a long line of vehicles in southwest Nigeria over the weekend.

Police in the Ile-Ife area in southwest Osun State could not immediately verify the death toll but confirmed the accident occurred Sunday on the Ibadan-Ife highway, some 250 kilometers (150 miles) north of the commercial capital of Lagos.

"The accident occurred on Sunday evening and it was reported to the police immediately. But I can't give the number of those who died now," a police officer said.

Newspapers said the fuel tanker rammed into the vehicles, which were lined up at a police road block.

"The collision sparked a fire...all 115 vehicles in the vicinity with their occupants were burnt," the independent Guardian reported.

The papers said dozens more were on the danger list in a government hospital in the area.

Nigeria's poorly maintained roads have become death traps for motorists.

More than 40 people were killed in a road accident last August in Abuja, the capital, while at least 18 people died in another crash last month in Lagos.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
Library of Congress Country Studies: Nigeria
Nigeria: Oil And Gas Industry: Overview
The Nigerian Embassy: Osun State

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