Fuel scoopers hinder rescue efforts as tanker falls, spills diesel on Otedola bridge, along Lagos-Ibadan road

Rita Blessing

A diesel-loaded tanker carrying 33,000 liters of diesel reportedly lost control while conveying the product outward from Lagos Capital Oil Filling Station, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Berger, Lagos, and fell on the Otedola bridge on Thursday afternoon.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is currently preventing spillage from escalating into another fire outbreak.

Eyewitnesses reported that the tanker trapped a 14-seater bus owned by the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEC), but the three occupants were safely evacuated with no injuries or deaths.

However, fuel scoopers are disrupting rescue operations, according to the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.

This incident caused a traffic gridlock on the expressway, and the officers of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) are making efforts to free up the road for vehicular movement.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation is ongoing as of the period of filing this report.