Posted by By ENYERIBE EJIOGU, PHILIP NWOSU and TESSY OKOYE on
A couple riding a BMW jeep, passengers in a commuter bus and other motorists as well as pedestrians, numbering about 15 perished in a late evening petrol tanker fire in Lagos on Tuesday.
A couple riding a BMW jeep, passengers in a commuter bus and other motorists as well as pedestrians, numbering about 15 perished in a late evening petrol tanker fire in Lagos on Tuesday.
The incident occurred at about 9.15 p.m at the foot of the flyover by the National Stadium on Western Avenue, Surulere, during the home-ward rush by motorists.
Daily Sun gathered that the couple and other victims were trapped in the fire from spilled fuel from a petrol tanker, which fell at the foot of the bridge and emptied its cargo on the highway.
Witnesses said they heard the couple and others screaming for help, but there was nothing they could do as fierce fire quickly engulfed the area, forcing people to run for dear life.
An official of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Chief Superintendent Daramola Samuel Olushina, told Daily Sun that the incident started from a commercial motorcycle, which developed engine problem and had to be fixed close to the road by the operator. He explained that while the motorcyclist was fixing his motorbike, a fuel-laden tanker, moving towards the mainland from Apapa and which was descending the bridge lost control. The driver had jumped out of the vehicle, leading to its crash. The heavily laden tanker fell and fuel spilled all over the road and flowed down the length of the highway, midway to Ojuelegba bus stop.
Daily Sun further gathered that after the fuel spilled, motorists were asked to switchoff the engines of their vehicles. They reportedly complied and began pushing their vehicles away from the center of the spillage. The commercial motorcyclist, after fixing the problem and believing that he had pushed his motorcycle to what he probably thought to be a safe distance, attempted to start the bike. As he did so, a spark from the exhaust pipe ignited the spilled fuel, and fire engulfed the entire area, destroying cars and killing several persons who were caught in the traffic jam.
No fewer than 15 persons are believed to have died in the resulting inferno, which burnt them beyond recognition even as several others reportedly sustained severe burn injuries.
Residents of the area expressed grief and anger as they recounted their experience in the aftermath of the incident.
Witnesses told Daily Sun that rescue was slow, but evacuation of the charred remains of the victims and the burnt vehicles was swift as security agencies and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority worked through the night and into the early morning hours to clear the wreckage.
"We tried our best to put out the flame and help to rescue people trapped in the inferno," Olushina said, adding, "We cannot say this is the exact number of lives lost in the carnage. But the corpses have been moved to the mortuary."
Residents of the area lamented that help could not reach most of the victims, alleging that not even the Fire Service station located at Barracks bus-stop, about 100 metres away was able to respond to the distress call.
At the Accident and Emergency section of the General Hospital, Lagos, where the victims were rushed to, Daily Sun gathered that the charred remains of the victims were deposited at the morgue while the only confirmed survivor, a woman, was transferred to the Burns Unit of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for proper management.
General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Ayodeji Peter Oyedokun in an interview with Daily Sun said the vehicles that were burnt included four cars, one bus and one pick up van.
He recalled the frustrations of the rescue efforts, saying that the operations were hindered by the unruly crowd that gathered at the scene of the incident.
His words: "We had problems in rescue operations. There is a factor that normally hinders rescue operations here and that is the behaviour of our crowd. We had problems with crowd control. By the time we got there, we were unable to quickly get the fire services to the place because of the confusion. There were so many people that had nothing doing there who were there. You know, when there is confusion like that, people gather with different motives.
"All the agencies were informed in time. The tension was very high. We had to wait for the fire to completely burn down before we could do anything. Even when we were removing the carcass of the tanker, there was still a level of fuel in it. That's why you still see it there near the scene of the fire incident. It will be dangerous to tow it until the fuel is removed. We had to mobilize quickly to get to the scene because if we did not, the traffic network around the area would have been terrible."