About 48 people have been killed in Niger, after a fuel tanker crashed into a lorry carrying passengers and cattle.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency had reported that the head-on collision happened at about 01:30 pm on Sunday, and led to an explosion which engulfed both vehicles.
Abdullahi Baba-arah, the director-general of the agency, had said that response teams were quickly deployed to the scene to effectively manage the situation.
A number of other vehicles were also affected in the explosion.
From the images and video recordings taken from the scene shortly after the incident, the dead cattle and two vehicles were entirely burnt out.
Speaking to the Reuters news agency after the incident, an emergency rescue worker said they were working tirelessly to recover human bodies, and the dead animals still inside the vehicle.
The state media also announced that a mass burial would take place for the victims.
The Niger state governor, Umaru Bago had reacted to the incident, saying that he was “pained by the unfortunate incident” in a condolence message to the families of the victims.
