The death toll from a gasoline tanker explosion in north-central Nigeria has risen to 86, the country’s emergency response agency said on Sunday.

Niger state Governor, Umaru Bago has directed heavy-duty trucks to cease using the one-way route through Dikko Bridge following a catastrophic tanker explosion on Saturday that left over 70 people dead.

At least 70 people have been killed in north-central Nigeria after a gasoline tanker exploded, the country’s emergency response agency said.

The death toll in Saturday's petrol tanker explosion at Dikko in Niger state has risen to 86 from 50. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency NSEMA Director General Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah said in a statement this morning that the corpses of the deceased were recovered from the scene of the accident.

A tanker has exploded after crashing in Nigeria, killing 77 people who had rushed to collect fuel from the scene, authorities say.The tanker overturned and spilled its contents in the Suleja area of North Central Niger state on Saturday.