Abuja, Oct 16 (IANS) At least 90 people were killed and 50 others sustained various degrees of injury after a gasoline tanker exploded in Nigeria's northern state of Jigawa late Tuesday, police said on Wednesday.

The victims were mostly people who had rushed to the scene to collect gasoline after the tanker lost control and overturned in Majiya, a town in the Taura local government area, Shi'isu Lawan Adam, the spokesman for the Jigawa police, told Xinhua news agency over phone.

"The tanker spilled its contents into a drainage ditch after overturning. The high casualty count is due to the crowd that gathered around the accident scene," Adam said.

The injured were taken to a government hospital for treatment, while a mass burial for the deceased was arranged for Wednesday morning, he added.

--IANS

as/