More than 100 people were killed and 50 others injured in northwestern Nigeria as they tried to scoop up fuel from an overturned petrol tanker, causing the vehicle to explode in flames, the emergency services said Wednesday.

The accident occurred at midnight in Jigawa state’s Majiya town after the tanker driver lost control of the vehicle while traveling on a highway, local police spokesperson Lawan Adam said.

Ninety-seven people were “burned to ashes” at the scene while eight others died at the hospital, Dr. Haruna Mairiga, head of the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency, told The Associated Press.

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