A tanker explosion claimed the lives of two men at the Ijesha end of the Cele link-bridge in the Surulere area, Lagos state on Friday night.
The Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Saturday. She revealed that firefighters swiftly responded to the distress call to extinguish the fire.
“At approximately 23:12hrs emergency services were alerted to a tanker truck, carrying 33k litres of petrol, losing control while navigating the roundabout to ascend the bridge. The subsequent spillage ignited into a large fire, engulfing the surrounding area,” the statement read.
Efforts by the Isolo and Bolade Fire Stations contained the inferno, preventing further escalation. However, tragically, two male individuals were discovered deceased, their bodies burnt beyond recognition. They were handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for necessary procedures. The Lagos State Ambulance Service also provided vital assistance throughout the operation.
Adeseye assured that efforts are underway to clear the wreckage of the involved vehicles from the road, ensuring free flow of traffic and enabling investigative procedures.
This incident comes in the wake of a similar tragedy reported in April, where five people lost their lives and over 70 cars were burnt in a tanker explosion at the Eleme section of the East-West Road in Rivers State. The explosion followed a collision between a petrol-laden tanker and a heavy-duty truck, resulting in a devastating fire.
