ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -- A Nigerian official says at least 14 people died when a petroleum tanker truck exploded and set nine other vehicles alight on a road in southeastern Nigeria.

Nigeria Road Safety Commission spokesman Ben Ekenna says 12 bodies were badly burned and five people were injured in the blast in Anambra state on Friday. He says the petrol-carrying truck leaked into a deep pothole which then attracted heat from the exhaust pipes of nearby cars and set off the explosion.

Fatal traffic accidents are common in Nigeria, where decades-old roads are normally pitted with potholes and drivers frequently fail to observe traffic-safety regulations.

Nigeria is one of Africa's biggest oil producers.