A fuel tanker crashed and exploded in Jigawa state in northern Nigeria late on Tuesday after the driver lost control of the vehicle, leaving at least 94 people dead and wounding 50 others, a police spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in Majia town in the Taura local government area, about 530 kilometers north of the capital Abuja, spokesperson for Jigawa State Police Command, Lawan Shiisu Adam, told Reuters by telephone.

The casualties were local residents who had gathered to collect fuel from the tanker after it crashed. The wounded were taken to local hospitals in Ringim and Hadejia towns where they were being treated, Adam said.

A mass burial for the dead will be held later in the day, he added.