Metro

Two burnt alive in Oshodi tanker fire

Published

9 years ago

October 7, 2015

Two people died as they were burnt beyond recognition on Tuesday, when a tanker carrying petrol overturned and burst into flames in Oshodi area of Lagos State on Tuesday.
The 33,000 litres capacity tanker with registration number FST 936 SJ fell close to the NAFDAC office in Oshodi spilling its contents.
The incident caused a massive gridlock on the busy Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, as another heavy duty vehicle, carrying a 20 foot container, reportedly fell during rescue operations. The tanker was said to have affected a pick-up van loaded with bags of charcoal.
The driver and his motor boy escaped unhurt, but two persons were burnt beyond recognition while attempting to scoop fuel.
An eyewitness said the fuel tanker was unlatched, adding that the driver was on top speed.
He said: “The fully loaded unlatched fuel tanker fell around the NAFDAC office in Oshodi.

“Some people went to scoop the fuel but unfortunately the tanker exploded and killed two of them. Several other trucks nearby also caught fire but the drivers escaped unhurt.”
Jude Amise, a resident, said he and his neighbours saw the fire when it started but never knew that a tanker fell.
“At first when we saw the fire we thought some people were burning tyres, it was when the smoke thickened we decided to move close to the scene. We saw a fallen tanker. At that time, the fire became uncontrollable. We tried to quench the fire ourselves but we realised it was more than our power so we informed the fire fighters who eventually put it out.’’
The Lagos state Emergency management Agency (LASEMA) said the corpse has been handed over to the environmental health monitoring unit.

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