News
Tanker Accident Claims 3 Lives Along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
Three people died in a multiple accident involving six vehicles that occurred on Kara Bridge of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the early hours of Wednesday.
Ibrahim Farinloye, the South-West Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), confirmed this in a message he sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that six vehicles comprising a car, three containers and two tankers were involved in the accident that happened around 3.08a.m.
The text also quoted the South West coordinator of NEMA, Suleiman Yakubu, as advising motorists on the Lagos-Ibadan outbound route to take, alternatively, the Ikorodu route to avoid the gridlock
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also saw scores of commuters trekking long distances following the accident.
A speeding trailer loaded with petrol, witnesses say, caused the accident when it rammed into others, spilled its content on the floor, exploded and caught fire which extended to the others.
The accident, which occurred on the Lagos outbound lane of the bridge, forced several drivers to park, turning the scene into a spectacle.
The correspondent who passed through the scene observed that some of the vehicles were still burning on the bridge.
NAN also saw officials of the Federal Fire Service making frantic efforts to put out the fire.
Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) cordoned-off the area to prevent other losses.
A witness, who identified himself as Suraju Fadele, told NAN that the accident occurred at about 4AM. Fadele, a butcher, said that the accident was caused by a fast moving unmarked trailer loaded with petroleum product that ran into another articulated vehicles and immediately exploded.
“I was waiting by the road side for my friend with some others to display our beef for the early morning market sales.
Suddenly, I saw a trailer on top speed moving toward our side and passed us. A few metres away from us, we heard a loud explosion which made us run for dear lives, and afterwards, we saw huge billows of fire on the bridge.
We realised that the trailer must have rammed into other articulated vehicles on the bridge because there were many of them there as at that time.
The problem with the accident is that nobody could move near the scene because of the raging fire,’’ he said.
Another witness, who simply identified himself as Bashir, lamented the reckless and dangerous manner articulated vehicles usually drive on the road.
“What caused the accident was simply speeding. The driver of the tanker was on top speed and I wonder why such a speed. Before I could look ahead, he had rammed into another trailer ahead of it.
When the trailer sped past us, we remarked that its driver was speeding and within a twinkle of an eye, we heard the loud bang followed by a raging fire.
There was another trailer under repair on the bridge which I think was loaded with rice; the trailer must have rammed into it,” Bashir said.
