2 die, 3 injured, 12 vehicles burnt in Ota tanker explosion

Two persons had been burnt beyond recognition, while three others sustained injuries when a tanker laden with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol) exploded at Ilo-Awela Junction, at Toll Gate area on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

A total of 12 vehicles, comprising three luxurious buses, four tricycles, three motorcycles and a yellow bus, were involved in the unfortunate incident.

The Ogun Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Ahmed Umar, said that the incident happened at about 1.30a.m. on Thursday.

Umar explained that the tanker laden with PMS was ascending from Ilo-Awela to Toll-Gate area, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, when it lost control due to mechanical fault, fell in the process and went into flame.

Umar said that the corpses of the victims had been deposited at State Hospital, Ota, while the survivors, including two males and a female, are also receiving treatment at the same hospital.

He said that the personnel of Fire Service were contacted immediately and the area had been cordoned to prevent any secondary crash.

The sector commander said that the FRSC personnel and other sister agencies were on ground to control gridlock and to ease free flow of traffic in the area.

He advised tanker owners to install safety valves and ensure that their vehicles were in condition before putting them on the road to avert unnecessary mishaps.

The Public Education Officer of FRSC, Ogun sector command, Florence Okpe, told journalists that the tanker was ascending the Ilo-Awela slope, adjoining the Abeokuta-Lagos section of the expressway, when it fell at about 1:30a.m., spilled its content and went up in flames.

According to her, five persons were involved in the accident, while three were seriously injured and two killed.

She attributed the cause of the accident to mechanical deficiency, saying “while the tanker was ascending the vehicle rolled back and got hooked. The content spilled off and there was fire outbreak.”

“Men of the fire service were contacted immediately and the area was cordoned off to prevent a secondary crash,” Okpe said.

The Star