01 June 2012, Sweetcrude, LAGOS — No fewer than five people were burnt to death, Thursday morning, in a multiple accident involving nine fuel tankers along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The accident occurred at Ibafo, a few kilometres to Redemption Camp, around Danko Village, when a tanker loaded with petrol rammed into some trucks parked along the expressway.
The tanker with registration number, Kebbi, XB370ZUR rammed into some of the petrol tankers parked haphazardly on the two sides of the express way, leaving several people critically injured.
The tankers were, according to an eye witness, immediately gutted by fire and not less than five ‘motor boys’ were burnt, while not less than nine of the tankers were burnt.
When Sweetcrude visited the scene of the accident, there was heavy gridlock leading to the diversion of vehicles to other areas of the road.
It was gathered that, three tankers and seven articulated vehicles were involved in the accident.
Speaking with newsmen on the accident, the Federal Road Safety Corps Sector Commander in Ogun State, Ayobami Omiyale said the accident occurred at about 12:30am, adding that, no fewer than 30 passengers were involved in the accident.
He further said that, five people were critically injured in the accident which was caused by dangerous driving, while explaining that, one of the articulated vehicles involved in the accident caught fire which resulted in an inferno that consumed the victims and some of the vehicles.
He said: “One of the articulated vehicles was trying to navigate between two cars and it lost control before catching fire that led to the accident on the road.”
He however disclosed that the injured were receiving treatment at undisclosed hospitals near the scene.
He also said the burnt bodies had been deposited at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.
According to him, the fire was put out by men of the fire service, adding that the FRSC was still making efforts to remove the burnt vehicles and control the traffic congestion that resulted.
As at the time of filing this report, men of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency were seen moving to the scene of the accident to control traffic and remove the burnt vehicles.
