ABUJA: Nigerian police on Monday confirmed that dozens of people were killed in a fuel tanker explosion in the country's southwestern state of Ondo on Sunday.

The victims of the incident were trapped in a fire while scooping fuel from the tanker which had veered off the road and toppled on its side after being involved in an accident in the Ore town of Ondo, Funmilayo Odunlami, the spokeswoman for the police in Ondo, told Xinhua by telephone.

Odunlami said an investigation had been launched, noting that the police had already established that the victims were "scooping fuel from the tanker" when the fire started.

Local media reported that at least 20 people were burned to death, adding that the fire was ignited by a spark from the phone held by one of the persons who were scooping the fuel. Locals rushed to the site of the fallen tanker as soon as they heard a loud bang, with each one aiming to take away the spilled content for storage.

Citing an eyewitness account of the accident, the local Punch newspaper reported that the victims of the disaster included at least three children.

Scooping fuel from tankers is a common dangerous practice in Nigeria, often leading to deaths and destruction arising from heavy fire.

-- BERNAMA