No fewer than 72 people sustained various degrees of injuries following a fire outbreak at a filling station in Kano metropolitan area in northern Nigeria.

The inferno occurred on Saturday as a result of explosion of an underground tank when a tanker was discharging petrol at the filling station.

The spokesman of the Kano State Fire Service, Mr. Saminu Yusuf Abdullahi, told journalists yesterday that about 72 people, including eight firefighters, passers-by and staff of the filling station were severely burnt.

The incident occurred when a petrol tanker with registration number: NSR 183 XW, carrying 66,000 liters of petrol caught fire.

He said after the fire was controlled by firefighters, one of the filling station members of staff ignorantly opened one of the tanker compartments.

He said this reignited the fire, leading to an explosion, which trapped the 72 victims, who were severely burnt.

Reacting to the incident, Kano State Commissioner for Works and Housing, Alhaji Idris Garba Unguwar Rimi, said some firefighters injured in the incident were currently receiving treatment at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.

He attributed the accident to negligence as filling stations were prohibited from offloading petroleum products in the afternoon.

However, emergency and relief team of the Red Cross Society Kano Office were sighted rendering first aid services and evacuating the victims to the hospital.