Blaze kills 34 at illegal Benin fuel depot

At least 34 people died in Benin near Nigeria's border on Saturday when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames, a government official said. Another 20 people were being treated in hospital, including some in serious condition.

Nigeria is a major oil producer and fuel smuggling is common inside the country and along its borders, with illegal refineries, fuel dumps and pipelines sometimes causing fires. Benin's Interior Minister said a serious fire had occurred in the town, but did not give details about exactly how it had happened.