A fully loaded tanker overturned on the Liverpool Bridge in the Apapa area of Lagos State on Monday morning, prompting residents to rush to the scene to scoop up diesel.

Videos shared on social media showed residents with jerrycans and other containers fetching fuel from the 45,000-litre diesel tanker.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, in a post on X, said officials of the state fire service and rescue team soon arrived at the scene and were making efforts to prevent a fire disaster.

“There’s a fallen tanker loaded with diesel on top of Liverpool bridge, inward Mile 2,” LASTMA said. “The diesel is spreading on the bridge as a result of the damaged tank. Men of the Nigerian Police Force from Area B and other safety agencies have been swiftly notified. Traffic has been diverted to the other side of the bridge for safety measures.”

It said the road leading to the bridge, which was cordoned off due to the incident, has now been reopened.

“Men of the Lagos State Fire Service and the rescue team are on ground doing the needful. Pending the time of the recovery, Liverpool Bridge has been cordoned off, and the counterflow method of traffic control is in use. Vehicular movement along the corridor is very slow. Plan your movement.

“The road on Liverpool Bridge inward Apapa that was cordoned off has been reopened after the contents have been neutralised by men of the Lagos State Fire Service. LASTMA officials are doing the needful, and traffic is expected to move better while we await the arrival of a tow truck,” the agency said.

Last year, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) reported that 411 people lost their lives nationwide in 2024 while scooping fuel from fallen tankers.

The FRSC corps marshal, Shehu Mohammed, had identified Plateau, Abia, Kaduna, Kwara, and Ondo States as places where the major crashes occurred, with the most devastating happening in Jebba, Kwara State, where 30 people perished.