Two die as tanker explodes in Ebonyi
Two persons have lost their lives in a fuel-laden tanker explosion on the Abakaliki-Onueke-Afikpo expressway in Ebonyi.
Igwe Nnabuife, sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, confirmed the incident to journalists on Saturday in Abakaliki.
Mr Nnabuife said that the truck, which was carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol, caught fire on Friday around 8:20 p.m. at the airport junction axis of the highway.
“One vehicle was involved. We have not been able to identify the registration number because the vehicle was burnt beyond recognition.
“On fatality, two persons were killed while one was seriously injured. The dead ones have been taken to Alex-Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.
“The injured person was taken to Onueke General Hospital, Ezza-South Local Government Area of Ebonyi,” the sector commander said.
Mr Nnabuife said the incident was unfortunate, and the command had begun arrangements to take the burnt tanker off the road.
A firefighter and driver at Ebonyi Fire Service, who refused to mention his name, said that they were able to put out the fire with God’s intervention.
“The incident claimed people’s lives and caused damage to farmlands in the area.
“We were able to put out the fire, but two persons were burnt beyond recognition—a driver and one other person in the tanker.
“We learnt that the tanker was trying to drive on the flyover bridge at the junction but unfortunately fell and caught fire.
“There were three persons in the tanker, but two were killed while one other person was seriously injured in the incident.
“We were there five minutes after the distress calls were made; we focused on the tanker to avoid fire entering people’s residences,” he added.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Africa
DRC records 8,665 Ebola cases, 4,178 deaths as Kenya reports imported case
WHO says the Ebola epidemic in the DRC has reached 8,665 confirmed cases and 4,178 deaths, with transmission slowing in some areas but growing elsewhere.
World
Australian parents back social media ban for Under-16: Study
The study finds that 67 per cent of parents report posting photos of their children online despite concerns about children’s privacy.
States
Police arraign man over alleged theft of N15 million Ford Explorer
Mr Bashiru pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Lagos
No child can consent to sex, DSVA warns
The DSVA said a child can not consent to sexual intercourse, citing the Nigerian Child Rights Act of 2003 and the Lagos State Child’s Rights Law of 2007.
Lagos
Court remands man over alleged possession of 5,000 molly tablets
The magistrate adjourned the case until November 2 for further proceedings.
Anti-Corruption
Sri Lanka’s ex-first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested for fraud
Ms Rajapaksa was grilled for about two hours on Wednesday over 10 million rupees, equivalent to $30,300, in donations collected by the Siriliya Saviya charity.
