According to a source, the explosion occurred when the fuel was ignited by a spark from a phone held by one of the people who was scooping fuel that spilled from a tanker.

The source, who gave her name as Nireti, disclosed that the incident happened along Showboy Road, adjacent to a filling station in Ore.

She narrated that after losing control, the truck spilled its contents on the road, after which people began to rush in order to scoop fuel.

The source, a trader in the area, added that over 15 bodies were roasted in the inferno, including three children and a pregnant woman.

She said: “I was in my shop when I heard the tanker fall. The rain was also falling. People were taking fuel when fire started after a spark from a phone.