At least 30 people were killed and shops and vehicles destroyed Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded in Port Harcourt, the hub of Nigeria's multi-billion-dollar oil industry and a target of attacks by militants.
"The incident happened at Eleme junction in the city. The details are still sketchy," Rivers state police spokeswoman Ireju Barasua told AFP.
Residents said no fewer than 30 people burned to death while many others were injured when the tanker exploded near a busy bus station and burst into flames.
An AFP reporter at the scene said the tanker was carrying stolen petrol and the driver was trying to escape chasing police when the vehicle overturned.
He said that in a bid to escape arrest, the driver had hit a barricade mounted on a section of road under construction in the Eleme district. He said many people were injured while 13 vehicles, including 10 buses, and several shops located around the popular bus station were destroyed in the inferno.