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Deadly fires arising from fallen petrol tankers have left tears and sorrow across Jigawa and Ogun States.
While none died in the Ogun incident over 90 persons were feared dead in the Jigawa disaster while scooping petrol from a fallen tanker at Majiya village of Taura Local Government Area of the state, leaving 50 others injured.
The fallen petrol tanker suddenly burst into flames while the victims were still scooping fuel thereby trapping them.
DSP Lawal Adams, the spokesperson of the state police Command, confirmed the incident.
“Today, a petrol tanker from Port Harcourt going to Nguru in Yobe State reached Majiya village of Taura local government area at around 12:30am when the driver lost control at Majiya and fell down,” he said.
“The content in the tanker flooded gutters and drainages in the village. The villagers started fetching the fuel where the petrol going in to flame.
“As a result, 95 people confirmed dead and 50 have been hospitalised receiving treatment.”
In a similar development in Ogun State, an early morning fire outbreak ignited by a fallen petrol-laden burnt many vehicles in the Ibafo area of the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
It was gathered that the driver of the tanker lost control, which led to the tanker’s fall, spilling it’s contents on the road and setting off an explosion.
The spokesman of the Ogun state-owned Traffic Compliance and Enforcement, TRACE, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident, adding that there were no fatalities.
However, the inflammable liquid content of the fallen tanker ignited a fire, which devoured several vehicles parked at a filling station before men of the Ogun State Fire Service brought it under control.
Several individuals also sustained varying degrees of injuries.
