At least 35 persons were killed after a warehouse used to store illicit petrol from Nigeria caught fire in Seme-Krake, Benin Republic.
The fire, which broke out at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday, was the country’s deadliest this year.
According to La Nouvelle Tribune, a Benin Republic daily, some 40 others injured in the fire have been evacuated from the scene to the Queme Department Hospital Centre.
Bip Radio first reported 34 deaths, claiming that the high number of fatalities occurred despite the presence of firefighters.
“A serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji,” Interior Minister Alassane Seidou told reporters.
“Unfortunately we have 34 deaths including two babies. Their bodies are charred because the cause of the fire is smuggled fuel,” he said.
In a later update, Prosecutor Abdoubaki Adam-Bongle of the justice ministry said at least 35 people were killed in the fire, as petrol was being unloaded into the warehouse..
“The fire burned down the store and according to an initial assessment resulted in 35 deaths including one child,” said Adam-Bongle in a ministry statement.
He stated that an investigation had been launched to ascertain the cause.
The most recent fire broke out in Seme Krake, a town near the Nigerian border in Benin’s southern department of Oueme.
According to Dallys Ahouangbegnon, chief of the local fire department, the fire, which started in a warehouse near the pineapple market, also ignited residences and vehicles parked nearby.
Smuggled petrol in Benin comes from Nigeria, where the price of petroleum is lower.
Thousands of liters of gasoline sold on the streets of Benin’s towns and neighborhoods are typically sourced from stations along the Benin-Nigeria border.
The trade, which generates enormous profits, also carries significant hazards due to the dangerous conditions in which the goods is held.
As a result, fires are common and have high tolls.
The number of deaths in this Saturday’s fire exceeds those documented in the disaster that occurred on Sunday, January 29, 2023 in the commune of Dassa-Zoumé.
More than 20 people perished and their corpses were unrecognizable in the Dassa-Zoumé tragedy, which swept Benin into sadness at the start of 2023.
There were some survivors who had third-degree burns. They quickly benefited from government assistance.
The government made the required procedures for DNA tests to be performed on each corpse in order to allow bereaved families to grieve their loved ones with dignity.