About 300 cars burned in a traffic jam on a highway in Nigeria due to the explosion of a fuel tanker

From 100 to 300 cars, according to various sources, burned out in a traffic jam on a highway in Nigeria.

The incident occurred in Rivers State on the East-West highway, which crosses Nigeria in the latitudinal direction. A large traffic jam formed near the Eleme junction, and at that time a fuel tanker caught fire and exploded, among other vehicles in the jam. There is an oil refinery nearby, and there were a lot of trucks hauling out products in the traffic jam. The explosion ignited several fuel tankers nearby, causing fire to engulf many vehicles.

The traffic jam was so dense that the drivers had nowhere to take the car; many were unable to get out of it. According to preliminary data, the cause of the tragedy was a collision of two cars as a result of a careless maneuver on the highway. The fire was extinguished only after a few hours. Search and rescue services continue to work, the number of victims is not yet known.