At Least 50 Fuel Scavengers Die in Nigerian Pipeline Blaze

LAGOS, Nigeria —  At least 50 Nigerian villagers burned to death Wednesday when gasoline gushing from a vandalized pipeline caught fire as they collected it in buckets and tins.

The charred remains of the victims--who included men, women and children--were scattered around the pipeline, along with motorbikes, shoes, clothing and fuel containers, television reported.

The gasoline caught fire about 3 a.m. near a village called Umuichiechi-Umungbede in the southeast Nigerian state of Abia, the TV report said.

Pipeline sabotage is common in this poverty-racked West African nation, and vandals have triggered several explosions in the past.

A massive explosion and fire killed at least 700 people in October 1998 in the Niger Delta town of Jesse, including many who had gathered in the area to try to collect spilling fuel. It took almost a week to put out the fire.

Although Nigeria is Africa’s top crude oil producer, it suffers chronic gasoline shortages because of poorly maintained domestic refineries. Long lines of cars are common at gas stations, leading to a thriving black market in petroleum products.

It was not immediately clear what sparked Wednesday’s inferno.

Firefighters from the nearby cities of Umuahia and Aba rushed to the scene but were unable to contain the flames, which raged on into the night.

Police arrested 28 people suspected of being vandals.