Many commuters have been feared dead, and eight vehicles burnt after a tanker laden with fuel fell and exploded in the Ugwu- Onyeama axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway on Saturday.

The director, Enugu State Fire Service, Okwudili Ohaa, confirmed the incident to journalists in Enugu.

Mr Ohaa said the service’s firefighters extinguished the fire, which lasted over an hour.

The chief fire officer said the number of casualties in the inferno was uncertain as the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other security agencies were trying to evacuate the charred bodies of the victims.

He said that about eight vehicles were burnt, and scores of road users, who scampered for safety, must have been injured in the incident.

“The suspected petroleum-laden tanker fell and exploded into flames at about 11:30 a.m., and the gallant firefighting officers from our 9th Mile Station immediately rushed to the scene but got overwhelmed.

“I have to immediately send for re-enforcement from the Ogui Road and Government House Fire Stations that supported the 9th Mile team.

“It took the combined efforts of 10 experienced and gallant firefighters to extinguish the fire before other para-military personnel came to evacuate corpses and rescue those injured to nearby hospitals,” he said.

The chief fire officer thanked members of the public for quickly alerting the state fire service about the incident.

However, witnesses described the tanker blast as devastating, as it destroyed nearby vehicles and caused widespread panic.

They said initial rescue efforts were hindered by the intensity of the fire– intense dark and choking smoke, thus making it difficult for bystanders to access the scene until the firefighters controlled the raging inferno.

They also said some victims and vehicles were burnt beyond recognition.

(NAN)