Ota tollgate fuel tanker explosion: 2 dead, 12 vehicles, several shops razed
This statement was confirmed in different statements by Lagos State Emergency Management Agency-LASEMA and Ogun Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).LASEMA in a statement after the rescue effort revealed that it deployed its Response Team to a scene where an articulated truck laden with 33,000litres of premium motor spirit fell sideways while driving up the hilly road at the Toll-gate inward Lagos Abeokuta ExpressWay.
The agency said, “Investigation conducted by the Agency’s Response Team revealed the immediate cause of the incident was due to mechanical fault (brake failure) which led to the PMS leaking from the truck.
The Agency’s Response Team conducted a post-disaster assessment and discovered the following losses: two lives burnt beyond recognition; four (4) tricycles totally burnt; two (2) motorcycles totally burnt; four (4) commercial buses burnt, several numbers of shops including kiosks, and makeup shops were razed down.According to Ahmed Umar, sector commander of Ogun FRSC, the incident happened at about 1.30 am on Thursday.
Umar said three people were injured in the accident, adding that the tanker was ascending from Ilo-Awela to the toll-gate area, when it lost control, fell, and went up in flames owing to mechanical issues.
He said a total of 12 vehicles, comprising three luxurious buses, four tricycles, three motorcycles, and a yellow bus, were involved in the fatal incident.The FRSC Sector Commander said the corpses of the victims have been deposited at the state hospital in Ota, while the survivors, including two males and a female, are also receiving treatment at the same hospital.
