Nigeria pipeline fire kills 100: Red Cross

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Maikubi said it was still unclear how many children were among the roughly 100 people killed. Around 20 people were injured and taken to a hospital, he said.

Hundreds of onlookers gaped at the fire, which could be seen from miles away, as firefighters sent water jetting into the conflagration.

Pipeline fires are common in Nigeria. More than 400 people died in two similar pipeline explosions in Lagos in 2006 and at least 40 died in December.

Authorities frequently blame the disasters on criminal gangs that tap into pipelines to siphon fuel for sale. After the gangs move on, people crowd in to scavenge for fuel and a spark can set leaked fuel ablaze.