By Wealth Oghenemaro
A petrol-laden tanker exploded in the early hours of Friday along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway in Ogun State, leaving several persons feared dead.
The accident, which occurred around 1 a.m., involved a 33,000-litre fuel tanker that overturned after the driver reportedly lost control due to excessive speeding, spilling its contents on the highway and triggering a massive fire.
Spokesperson of the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident, noting that the inferno consumed other vehicles, including a truck and a tow van, and also destroyed power installations.
“The effect of the unfortunate incident extended to the burning of a truck and a tow vehicle along the roadside, as well as the destruction of a PHCN cable supplying electricity to Mowe and its environs,” Akinbiyi said.
Emergency teams comprising TRACE officials, the Ogun State Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Police, and Nestlé PLC Fire Service were deployed to the scene to battle the flames and conduct rescue operations.
“Though casualty figures cannot be ascertained presently, rescue and emergency services are still on the ground to restore normalcy and orderliness after quenching the fire and carrying out the decantation process,” Akinbiyi added.
Traffic along the expressway has been reduced to a single lane to enable rescue efforts, while motorists have been urged to exercise patience and comply with diversion measures put in place by security and emergency agencies.
