Nine
people have been confirmed dead after a tanker conveying petrol went up in
flames on the Otedola Bridge, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Thursday
evening, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has said.
Adesina Tiamiyu, the agency’s general manager,
said 54 vehicles were razed by the inferno.
“On getting to the scene of the incident it was
discovered that a Mack tanker truck loaded with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor
Spirit (PMS) moving inward Berger at about 5:23 pm, fell and spilled its
content on the road resulting into fire outbreak,” Mr Tiamiyu said in a
statement to Premium Times.
“Unfortunately, nine bodies were confirmed dead
and recovered from the scene (eight adults and one minor) and four persons
sustained various degrees of injuries and taken to the hospital.”
Mr Tiamiyu said efforts were ongoing to move
all the burnt vehicles off the road.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority
(LASTMA) had earlier said the accident was caused by a brake
failure by the tanker.
In a statement on Thursday night, the Lagos
State government described the incident as a “sad development”.
“On behalf of the Lagos State government, we
extend our deepest commiseration to the families of persons who lost their
lives as well as properties to the incident,” Kehinde Bamigbetan, the
commissioner for Information and Strategy, said in the statement.
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