Latest news After tanker accident in Nigeria: death toll rises to 153

Following the explosion of a petrol tanker in Nigeria, the death toll has risen to 153 people, according to police reports.

Around 100 more people were injured, many of them seriously, police spokesman Lawan Shi'isu Adam told the German Press Agency. Many women and children were among the injured.

The driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle on Wednesday night in the town of Majiya in the northern state of Jigawa. According to the police, numerous residents had gathered at the scene of the accident despite warnings from the security forces. The people had tried to siphon off the fuel leaking from the tanker. When the vehicle suddenly exploded, there was a high death toll, said Adam. The police had initially put the death toll at 140 on Wednesday. Local authorities held a mass funeral on Wednesday.

Most of the people in the north of Africa's most populous country with around 220 million inhabitants live in deep poverty. Despite its abundance of crude oil, Nigeria regularly experiences fuel shortages.