Christmas Day tanker blast kills two
By Wellington Jopelo
Not fewer than two people lost their lives after a petrol tanker exploded along the Badagry Expressway in Lagos in the early hours of Christmas Day.
The explosion occurred around 4 a.m. near the Oto-Ijanikin axis, close to the Lagos State University of Education, when a fully loaded 33,000-litre tanker crashed and went up in flames.
The inferno spread quickly, burning nearby vehicles and houses and throwing residents of the area into panic before emergency responders arrived.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said the tanker reportedly lost control while attempting to overtake another vehicle, leading to the crash and subsequent fire outbreak.
“Preliminary findings from security investigations indicate that the unfortunate incident was precipitated by excessive speed,” the agency said.
“The vehicle subsequently crashed and erupted into a raging inferno, trapping and claiming the lives of the driver and an adult female occupant.”
LASTMA said its officers immediately cordoned off the area to prevent further accidents and also stopped members of the public from attempting to scoop fuel from the scene.
Firefighters from the Ojo and Badagry fire stations later contained the blaze, after which the burnt tanker was evacuated to clear the road. The remains of the deceased were also removed from the scene.
Reacting to the incident, LASTMA General Manager Olalekan Bakare-Oki described the explosion as “deeply painful and entirely avoidable,” urging tanker drivers to obey traffic rules and warning the public against the dangerous habit of collecting spilt fuel at accident sites.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service attributed the incident to negligence, noting that emergency responders were able to bring the situation under control despite the severity of the fire.