By RITA ILIYA

The death toll in the Dikko tanker explosion has risen to 86, with 80 of the victims buried in a mass grave.

Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Sunday.

He said five of the victims were carried away by their relatives for burial while one died at the Dikko Primary Healthcare Centre.

Baba-Arah said that the mass burial was carried out by NSEMA in collaboration with authorities of the Gurara Local Government Council and volunteers.

He confirmed that the number of injured persons was now 55.

NAN recalls that the tanker explosion occurred on Saturday morning on the Dikko-Maje road in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger.

The incident happened when a tanker loaded with petrol fell and an attempt was made to transfer its content.

NAN reports that some residents had besieged the fallen tanker, scooping fuel.

An attempt to switch on a generator to ease the transfer of the petrol triggered an explosion, resulting in the deaths and destruction of properties. (NAN)

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