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ABUJA (Reuters) - At least 35 people were killed on Monday and hundreds injured when a gas tanker exploded in northern Nigerian state of Nasarawa and started a blaze, the state emergency agency said.

The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) official said the accident happened at a petrol station along the Lafia-Makurdi road linking the capital city of Abuja with northern and southern Nigeria.

Usman Ahmed, acting director at SEMA, said the truck exploded at the point of discharging the gas, citing a witness account. The agency was investigating the incident, he said.

“We have confirmed 35 dead and over a hundred injured. Most of those that died rushed to the accident spot to see what was happening,” Ahmed told Reuters.

Traffic accidents are common in Nigeria, where roads are bad and safety standards poor.

At least nine people were killed in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos in June when a petrol tanker caught fire and burned 53 other vehicles.