No fewer than four persons on Sunday lost their lives in a tanker explosion that occurred in Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Reports said a tanker carrying Premium Motor Spirit fell and residents trooped to the scene to scoop fuel.
The incident which happened at Gbatse settlement in the council area also left 40 persons with various degrees of injuries.
The inferno which burnt the victims beyond recognition also razed several houses located near the scene of the explosion, as well as motorcycles.
A source said that some residents rushed to scoop fuel after the tanker had fallen, but the tanker reportedly exploded.
The inferno which started around 10:00 am was said to have lasted several hours, which made rescue difficult.
The cause of the inferno could not be ascertained as residents gave different versions.
Some claimed that there were gunshots by some security persons to scare away those who were scooping fuel and that the gunshots ignited the explosion.
Another account claimed that struggle by those scooping fuel caused the explosion when the metal buckets they were using scratched another.
A witness said,
“The incident happened around 10. As the tanker fell, many people rushed to the scene and we’re scooping fuel that was gushing out.
“The next thing we had was a loud explosion. The explosion caught many people unprepared, and by the time we tried to rescue the victims, four persons were burnt completely. We could not recognise them. More than 40 persons were injured.”
Some of the victims with severe burns were taken to Benue State University Teaching Hospital for treatment on the directive of Governor Samuel Ortom.
