About nine persons were on Thursday feared dead as a petroleum tanker laden with fuel upturned and exploded on Michael Otedola Bridge, near Berger, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Adesina Tiamiyu, the general manager of Lagos State Emergency management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed that 53 vehicles burnt in the accident.
He said nine people were burnt beyond recognition while four others were rescued, with two in critical condition and two others with minor injuries. Motorists and passengers were seen scampering in different directions to escape the conflagration.
The petroleum tanker was said to be travelling outward Lagos when the accident occurred at about 5:30pm. The driver, according to high witnesses, was said to have lost control on top speed as he attempted overtake other vehicles.
Officials of LASEMA and Lagos Fire Service backed by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) were mobilised to the scene and were seen battling to bring the situation under control. Operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were also deployed to divert traffic as they warned road users to avoid the inferno scene. Some of the victims were said to be car owners and passengers heading home after the close of work for the day.
An official of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) told BusinessDay reporter who was at the incident scene that the tanker driver may have lost control after a brake failure in the process of overtaking vehicles just opposite a petrol station.
As at the time of filing this report, officials of the FRSC and Lagos State Fire Service were still battling to put off the inferno while the combination of rescue team from LASEMA, Federal Fire Service, FRSC and Lagos State Ambulance were removing the remains of bodies burnt.
The explosion caused heavy traffic flow after the Lagos toll gate and extended to 3rd Mainland Bridge while officers of the Nigerian Police and the Lagos Neighbourhood Security Corps cordoned off the area for security reasons, as thick smokes enveloped the atmosphere.
“We are trying to extinguish the fire from the vehicles and check for possible causalities from the explosion,” Tiamiyu told BusinessDay as the time of filing in this report
