A fuel tanker loaded with 45,000 litres of premium spirit (petrol) exploded and caused destruction of several properties at Olambe, a community along Matogun road in the Ife Local Government Area of Ogun state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The incident which occurred on Saturday morning around 7am resulted in the destruction of ten residential houses, two churches and eight shops.
According to reports by local media, the incident caused panic among residents of the area.
Report by some online portals suggested that the driver of the tanker truck lost control of the steer of the vehicle causing it to fall.
The report said some of the fuel spilled and in the process the tanker exploded.
The Manager of a hotel affected in the area, Peter Friday, told Nigeria- based Punch that the incident came as a shock to the entire community, adding that he was busy with sales when the incident occurred, and he quickly moved their guests to a safer place outside the hotel.
“I sat inside the bar when the incident happened. I saw flames of fire from where I was, and I quickly rushed out to call our guests inside the room for them to move out before the fire could penetrate. Four rooms, the main bar, and many things as you can see were affected. We have broken ceilings, mattresses, 50 pieces of burnt chairs, a generator, one reservoir and many other things that got destroyed.
“I want the government to look into this and help us with the structures and losses. I think the incident was caused by the bad road. I feel bad because if the road had been fixed, this incident would have been averted. But we thank God that our guests are in a safe place now,” he lamented.
In a statement, the Lagos Territorial Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the tanker fell and spilled its contents and exploded.
He added that no life was lost, and no one sustained injuries.
“The situation was mitigated with most of the content spilling into the canal close to the scene, thereby saving the community from serious incidents that could have affected people. The fire has been put out,” he said
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
