Two persons were confirmed dead and several others injured following a tanker explosion Tuesday night at about 11.pm at the Otedola Bridge in Lagos.
The ensuring inferno from the blast destroyed four buildings and burnt 15 vehicles to the ground.
Lagos State police spokesperson CSP Benjamin Hundeyin who confirmed the incident said: “The accident was suspected to have occurred when the vehicle was trying to ascend the link road to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by Otedola Bridge. Consequently, the vehicle somersaulted, spilled its entire contents on the road, and fire ignited immediately.
“The vehicle’s registration number and make are still unknown. However, a total of four buildings, 15 burnt vehicles, including tricycles, an unspecified number of shops, and household properties were lost in the inferno.
“The number of human lives lost is still being quantified, as only two bodies have been recovered. A private hospital was affected, but details of the victims there remain sketchy. More updates will follow as the rescue operation continues.”
Meanwhile, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, disclosed that the fire also spread to a church, an adjoining bungalow, and four vehicles.
The explosion caused panic among motorists, with many scrambling to escape, making abrupt U-turns, and abandoning their vehicles in fear of being trapped in the inferno.
