Nine people have been reported dead in separate
incidents in Oyo and Borno States yesterday. In
the Ibadan, Oyo State tragedy, three people died
with five others injured from burns when a
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
petrol tanker trying to offload fuel suddenly
exploded and caught fire at Orogun Junction on
Ojoo Expressway.
The three victims were said to have been burnt to
death as the fuel flew into the area and exploded,
it burnt property and human beings found along
its path.
Two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and about eight
shops in the area were also torched by the raging
inferno.
The situation got out of hands when the state’s
fire service that arrived at the scene ran out of
water and had to wait for another vehicle for
replenishment.
While still waiting for water, the fire went wild
and engulfed the surrounding shops and some
other houses around including some vehicles
parked along the road.
The five people who sustained serious burns
were rushed to hospital in an Oyo State
ambulance.
The incident occurred beside Energy Filling Station
at Orogun junction along Iwo Road/Ojoo
Expressway around 11.30am.
Heavy smoke covered the area as most shops
and car owners who parked their vehicles in
some perimeters close to the scene made frantic
efforts to remove them.
An eyewitness, Dr. Ayo Osisanwo, told
newsmen that the tragedy started when an NNPC
truck was offloading fuel from another NNPC
truck which had mechanical fault and had broken
down in the middle of the road.
According to him, the inferno started in the
process of technical transfer of the fuel to an
empty tanker when the loaded tanker suddenly
caught fire.
The situation caused heavy traffic snarl as only
one lane was used by motorists, just as
policemen and Civil Defence operatives had
difficult time controlling the traffic.
Hoodlums also took advantage of the situation to
steal property of victims who had fled the scene
to safety.
Another eyewitness who does not want his
name in print, said:”An NNPC tanker was trying to
offload fuel from the other one that fell off by the
roadside. Suddenly, the loaded one caught fire
and the driver tried hard to drive it away from the
one already burning. He hurriedly abandoned the
vehicle after the rescue”.
Source:
http://gbadunaija..com/2013/08/fuel-fire-outbreak-causes-havoc-as-nine.html?m=1

Unfortunate