The truck spread fire on vehicles and humans within its reach and when the smoke was down, 54 vehicles, including five buses, were set ablaze.
Nigeria: Authority says 9 persons dead, 54 vehicles burnt after huge fuel truck blaze
Nine persons were confirmed consumed in a petrol tanker inferno that occurred on a Lagos Otedola bridge by exit of Lagos to Ibadan Thursday evening.
Four other persons were injured while 54 vehicles were burnt according to report by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The fuel-laden truck reportedly fell and caught fire after it was suspected to have lost break.
The truck spread fire on vehicles and humans within its reach and when the smoke was down, 54 vehicles, including five buses, were set ablaze.
Petrol is transported via the same badly maintained routes and at the same time that private cars and commuter buses use the roads.
The incident on Thursday occurred at about 17:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, one of the main motorways into the city.
Nine persons were confirmed consumed in a petrol tanker inferno that occurred on a Lagos Otedola bridge by exit of Lagos to Ibadan Thursday evening.
An eyewitness said the truck failed spilled it content and a fire erupted and quickly spread from vehicle to vehicle.
Images later showed black smoke rising from the road and the shells of several burnt-out cars.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said he was “very sad to learn of the tragic loss of lives”.
“Sadly, this seems to be one of the greatest tragedies we have seen in recent times,” he said in a statement.
Government spokesman Kehinde Bamigbetan said it was time “to find ways of ensuring that tankers are driven by drivers who have more responsibility”.
“We need to work more with federal agencies so we don’t have these crises all the time,” he said.
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