Death toll in Nigeria tanker explosion rises to 98

Firefighters extinguish fire from a tanker that exploded in Suleja, Nigeria (Arise News/AP)

The death toll from a petrol tanker explosion in north-central Nigeria has risen to 98, the country’s emergency response agency said.

The blast happened in the early hours of Saturday near the Suleja area of Niger state after individuals attempted to transfer petrol from a crashed oil tanker into another truck using a generator.