Four burnt to death As two tankers catch fire

March 28, 2017 11:03 PM

A tanker explosion has claimed the lives of four persons along the Lagos/Ibadan expressway.

Scene of a tacker explosion - photo for illustrative purpose only

Four persons were said to have been burnt to death while two others were injured when a loaded fuel tanker fell and exploded around Fidiwo area along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday.

The four victims were said to have been trapped inside the fuel tanker which fell on its side, and caught fire, along with another tanker it scrubbed on the side.

Witnesses said the driver of the exploded tanker was trying to overtake the other fuel tanker. Both tankers had a side-swept impact, with the driver of the exploded tanker losing control of his vehicle. His tanker fell on its side and exploded.

The accident occurred around 2.28pm.

Fire fighters battled for over two hours to put out the inferno, arising from the two tankers. One of them was however saved.

Mr Clement Oladele, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun gave the number plate of the exploded tanker as FFA 752 XA.

“The incident occurred when the burnt tanker with registration number FFA 752 XA brushed the other tanker by the side while overtaking it.

“This resulted to loss of control and subsequent crash with the resultant impact of fire outbreak in both vehicles,” he said.

The sector commander said that the timely intervention of the men of the fire service saved the second tanker but the other one could not bé saved as it got burnt completely.

Oladele said efforts were still being made to offload the content of the saved tanker, because it was already leaking, due to the impact of the accident.

He, however, said that only one corpse was seen at the scene of the accident.

Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Public Relations Officer, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) said four persons were trapped inside the burnt tanker and were burnt beyond recognition. Two other persons escaped with varying degrees of burns, he said.

“The TRACE personnel on ground at the scene of the accident said four persons died in the tanker inferno.

“They told me the four victims were trapped inside the ill-fated tanker. Two others were also said to have been injured."