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| Tanker explosion |
No fewer than three persons were early Friday killed and others injured as a tanker, fully loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol exploded at the Ajegunle Bus Stop along the Lagos- Abeokuta expressway.
The dead people, according to traders in the area, included a teenage girl, who was assisting her mother to sell alcoholic drinks, an unidentified man and another man from the northern part of Nigeria, who had gone to scoop fuel from the exploded tanker.
Millions of naira worth of properties, including shops, vehicles and cash were burnt in the early Friday incident.
A driver, who pleaded anonymity, while speaking with Tribune Online, said that the fire did not emanate from the tanker but from far down the toll gate area, where the petrol spilt through the drainage.
The driver said “It happened around 3 AM. The tanker was already in front of the filling station and was about to turn into the police station when it fell on its side.”
He continued that “the petrol in the tanker began to spill into the drainage down to the toll gate area. Some area boys started scooping fuel from the drainage.”
“Suddenly, we heard a loud bang down the toll gate area and the fire traced the petrol spillage to where the tanker had fallen and there was a pound explosion.”
“Everybody ran in different directions. Nobody could wait to say what happened after that. The explosion was very big.”
The director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye said, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has successfully combated a fire outbreak at Ajegunle via Toll Gate Bus Stop, Abeokuta Expressway, bordering Lagos and Ogun States.”
She added that “The emergency which was reported at 02:16 midnight hours of Friday resulted from a Tanker meant to service Ayinde Oil Filling Station at Ajegunle which accidentally spilt its 45,000 litres PMS contents while negotiating a bend to the Station before resulting to Fire from the nefarious activities of scoopers at the Toll Gate end. Causing it spread through some roadside makeshift shops to its source at Ajegunle Bus Stop.”
Adeseye also said that “The situation is however being brought under control by the Agege, Ikeja and Alausa Fire Crews of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service with the use of tactical Firefighting application of Chemical Foam Compound to suppress the Fire.”
“The public is hereby assured that the situation is under control as the process of mopping up and evacuation of the remains of the Fire is ongoing.”
She also added that “They should however exercise caution and restraint as outbound Lagos traffic has been diverted to travel with the inbound vehicular traffic.”
Adeseye confirmed that “Unfortunately, a male adult was recovered suspected dead likewise three various brands of vehicles involved in the fire aside from the tanker and shops.
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