2 killed in Lagos tanker explosion
Two people were on Wednesday night killed, and several others injured in a tanker explosion in the Oto-Ijanikin axis of the Badagry Expressway in Lagos. The explosion involved a Mack truck conveying diesel near the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), close to Agbara. Witnesses said the tanker was struggling for right of way with […]
Two people were on Wednesday night killed, and several others injured in a tanker explosion in the Oto-Ijanikin axis of the Badagry Expressway in Lagos.
The explosion involved a Mack truck conveying diesel near the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), close to Agbara.
Witnesses said the tanker was struggling for right of way with another truck when it lost control, overturned and burst into flames, with the fire spreading rapidly, engulfing nearby vehicles and structures.
Some of the injured were reportedly attempting to scoop diesel leaking from the ruptured tanker when the explosion occurred.
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“I was just passing when I heard a loud bang. People were running in all directions. I knew something terrible had happened,” said Sule Anifowose, a witness.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said preliminary investigation pointed to over-speeding as the cause of the crash.
He said the driver and an adult female occupant were trapped and burnt to death.
Bakare-Oki further said LASTMA personnel swiftly cordoned off the area and alerted the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police, adding that officials prevented members of the public from scooping the spilled diesel, averting further disaster.
7 injured as high-rise fire was contained
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed that seven men sustained burns in a fire outbreak on Wednesday at the 22-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on Lagos Island.
The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said three male and two female victims who suffered smoke inhalation were treated at the scene and discharged.
According to him, the fire was successfully contained through the combined effort of emergency responders, but that before then, it spread to a nearby mosque and parts of the Oluwole Plaza.
He added that the seven-storey Radio Nigeria building opposite the scene was safely protected, while dampening-down operations were ongoing.