The Section Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Hyginus Omeje, said confirmed this to newsmen on Jnue 28. He said that 54 vehicles were involved in the fire incident.
The Lagos State Section Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that nine people died and four injured in the fire incident at Otedola Bridge on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Section Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Hyginus Omeje, said confirmed this to newsmen on Jnue 28. He said that 54 vehicles were involved in the fire incident.
Sahara Reporter had reported that the incident, which had many motorist trapped was as a result of a petrol tanker crashing and spilling its contents on the road which immediately triggered an explosion. Report gathered shows that the accident involved one tanker, five buses, two trucks, one tricycle and 45 cars.
Mr. Hyginus said “It was a crash involving tanker fully loaded with petrol. I think it lost control and crashed. There was an explosion and other vehicles were involved. About 54 vehicles were burnt in the inferno that followed. Nine dead bodies were recovered. Four others including two critically injured sustained various degrees of burns.”
“The situation now is that we are on recovery. The wreckages are being taken off the road. All the dead bodies have been deposited in the morgue. The injured ones have been taken to Ojota Emergency Centre. So the rescue operation is still ongoing and all the emergency responders are here.” He added.
In response to the incident, the Lagos State Government has sent it condolence to the families of those affected in the tanker explosion.
The government had commiserated with the victimsand their families through a statement signed by Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy.
The statement described the incident as a sad development, saying that the incident was most unfortunate and regrettable.
It reads “On behalf of the Lagos State Government, we extend our deepest commiseration to the families of persons who lost their lives as well as properties to the incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this time of pain and grief. As a government, we would not relent in putting measures in place to ensure safety of lives and property of all residents.”
The Commissioner also said that the state government had mobilized all relevant agencies to the scene to rescue and take good care of victims and normalize traffic on the road.
However, many witnesses are of the opinion that the level of the casualty may be higher than that given by the FRSC. Eyewitnesses alleged that due to the numbers of vehicles involved and the capacity of those vehicles, the number of those who died and those injured in the inferno might be higher than the FRSC reported.
An eye witness said “There was a huge fire after the loud explosion. People were running in all directions to avoid the area but some were trapped in their vehicles. In the confusion, some of them could not escape because they had their seat belt on and the doors of their vehicles were locked.”