Posted by By CHRIS ANUCHA and HENRY CHUKWURAH, Port Harcourt on
Three persons were feared dead when a fuel tanker exploded and its detached head plunged into the Ogun River, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Wednesday.
Three persons were feared dead when a fuel tanker exploded and its detached head plunged into the Ogun River, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Wednesday.
The victims included the tanker driver and two other occupants of the Ibadan-bound vehicle.
The incident, which caused a serious traffic snarl on the ever-busy highway, occurred at about 2pm and trapped motorists and travelers from the Lagos end, according to eyewitnesses.
Sources told Daily Sun that the head of the tanker pulled out and fell into the river, on the first bridge interlinking Lagos with Ogun State, near the Kara Market, Isheri on the expressway. The separated tanker, believed to be carrying petroleum products, burst into flame, burnt for hours and almost destroyed the bridge.
Men of the Lagos State Fire Service and the Civil Defence Corps arrived the scene after several hours to put out the fire and retrieve the carcass of the vehicle and bodies of its occupants from the river.
Shops and stalls at the Kara market, beneath the bridge, were also gutted by the inferno, which reduced them to rubble.
Rescue operations were still on by press time, although the traffic had begun to ease.
In a related development, no fewer than 19 buildings were razed in a late night fire that occurred on Tuesday at Orowuruku community near Port Harcourt, in Rivers State.
Already, about 250 occupants of the affected houses have been rendered homeless.
Residents of the area, situated near Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, told Daily Sun that the fire was caused by an unnamed illicit local petroleum products dealer.
They alleged that the man was mixing petrol, diesel and other substances for apparent higher gain when a spark occurred, leading to the full-blown inferno. Eye witnesses said that the man took to his heels as soon as the fire that also gutted his home started.
Household property worth millions of Naira were ruined in the incident.
They included refrigerator, electronic gadgets and furniture.
It took the efforts of a combined team of fire fighters and some of the residents to put out the fire.
Some of the victims complained that they would have salvaged some of their valuables but for the late arrival of the firemen.
One of the women, who identified herself as Mary, said, in choking sobs, that her family lost all its belongings and money to the fire.
She and many others appealed for help from the government and philanthropic organizations.