Another resident said it is the second major disaster witnessed in the community this month.
No fewer than 20 persons were reportedly burnt to death when a petrol-laden tanker lost control and fell on a bridge at Mabolo river in the Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi state on Wednesday.
An eyewitness told a local medium, The Advocate News, that the incident happened around 3.30 pm.
A resident of Ankpa who identified himself as Usman Ahmed told the paper that “nobody knows the number of dead people now".
"Many people were in the river doing one thing or the other when the tanker lost control, fell and exploded on the bridge. It’s horrible. The most gory scene I have seen in my life," the eyewitness said.
Another resident said it is the second major disaster witnessed in the community this month.
"This one is the most horrible. Over twenty persons were burnt to death, some beyond recognition," the resident said.
He added many victims who were “crushed to death had their body parts scattered all over the place," adding that such "parts had to be picked in bits and pieces in body bags."
The Kogi State Federal Road Safety Corps Sector Commander, Stephen Dawulung, confirmed the incident, saying the casualty figure could not be ascertained yet.
“‘My boys are there, putting the pieces together. We don’t know the number of the dead yet. A tanker, two buses and two motorcycles were involved," he said.