Burning vehicles and wreckage are spread across a road in southern Nigeria after a crash involving a fuel tanker and six commuter buses.

About 70 people are feared dead.

Witnesses said potholes in the road caused the tanker to topple over and spill fuel across the road.

A car then crashed into the tanker causing a massive explosion.

Six packed buses and several other vehicles were caught in the blast.

Roads in Africa's most populated nation are often congested and poorly maintained.

Many are covered with gullies and holes large enough to swallow cars.

One road safety officer blamed the condition of the so-called "express" road for the crash.

[Mr. Omiyale, Road Safety Official]:
"I got a call from one of our staff officers from RSHQ, who happened to be using this part of the road at that point in time, that a tanker had careened on it's side on the express, supposedly, express that you can see how express the road is. It is a very very bad example of an express road."

Accidents caused by bad roads are common in the country, particularly at night.

But the death toll is rarely so high.