COTONOU: Local officials said on Saturday that as many as 34 people were killed in a blaze at an illegal fuel depot in Benin. According to the authorities, the blaze incident occurred when an illegal fuel dump burst into flames in Benin close to the border with Nigeria, AFP reported.
Interior Minister Alassane Seidou confirmed that a blaze incident took place in the town of Seme Podji. The Minister maintained that unfortunately as many as 24 people including two kids were killed in the incident. Alassane Seidou said that 20 injured were shifted to the hospital for media treatment.
Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer and fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.
