At least 100 people were killed and many more injured as an oil pipeline exploded on Thursday on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city. The accident was caused by a construction vehicle which smashed into the pipeline and set off a huge fire fueled by oil.

The huge fire engulfed several surrounding homes and a school close to the pipeline in Lagos suburb Ijegun. More than 11 houses were razed by the flames.

The vehicle that was working on a road project struck the pipeline, but it was not immediately clear how the fuel caught fire.

The death toll is still a matter of estimation and confusion. There were several accounts of the death toll and all were different. According to Nigerian Red Cross officials, at least 100 people were burnt to death, but a representative of the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency estimated that only 10 died. Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said 14 people died.

At least 20 people have been taken to hospitals for injuries. Among them there was a 2-year-old girl.

A local woman said her three children, Osahon, 18, Osamede, 15, and Idemudien 13, were burnt to death in the fire.

Accidents at the oil pipeline are quite often in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer and exporter and the eight largest in the world. Some of the accidents are caused by poor maintenance, while other incidents are caused by rebel attacks.

A similar incident occurred in December 2007 and the huge blaze killed more than 40 people on the outskirts of Lagos.