No fewer than 35 people were killed in Benin Republic on Saturday after a fire broke out at a shop where witnesses said gasoline was being unloaded.
The inferno broke out at about 9 p.m. in Seme-Podji municipality, near the border with Nigeria.
“The fire burned down the store and according to an initial assessment resulted in 35 deaths including one child,” Prosecutor Abdoubaki Adam-Bongle said in a statement, adding that an investigation had been opened to determine the cause.
READ ALSO: Sunday Igboho released from Benin detention, restricted to Cotonou
“According to the witnesses interviewed, the fire was probably started during the unloading of bags of gasoline,” Adam-Bongle said.
According to Reuters, more than a dozen others were seriously injured and are being treated in hospital.
A video shared widely on social media, purportedly of the fire, showed a tower of black smoke and flames spewing into the air above what appears to be a marketplace as shocked people watch from a safe distance.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola…
Oil prices hit fresh six-week highs on Thursday, September 3, 2026, after new United States…
Ride-hailing company inDrive has assured Nigerians of its long-term commitment to the country, days after…
Nigerian Grammy winning singer, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has become the first…
A Nigerian graduate whose struggles to complete university were initially mocked online has received N14…
Former Ogun State Governor and Senator, Gbenga Daniel, has warned that Nigeria’s economic growth cannot…
This website uses cookies.