Tanker explosion claims 1, injures 2 in Ogun

 A tanker loaded with fuel on Tuesday exploded on the  Eruwon highway near Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, killing one person and injuring two.

An eyewitness, who identified himself as Adenuga Abayomi, told  the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the tanker, which was coming from Eruwon, fell when it was trying to negotiate  a roundabout.

Abayomi explained that when the tanker fell, the petrol inside it  poured out trapping  the driver and two other passengers.

`` When the tanker fell, we tried  to rescue those trapped inside,  but we were able to rescue two while we could not rescue the third person who is a motor boy before the tanker exploded.

``The explosion would have been prevented if a pick up van which we asked  to stop obeyed us. It was the  emission from the pick up that sparked  off the explosion,’’ he said.

NAN reports that it took the intervention of the State Fire Service to put out the  fire  while the FRSC  and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance Agency  had a hectic  time controlling traffic.

Confirming the incident, Mr Issa Seidu, the Ijebu-Ode Unit commander of FRSC, said the accident  was caused by brake failure of the tanker.

Seidu said the explosion was as a result of  the smoke emission from other vehicles plying the other side of the road.

`` The explosion was a clear case of brake failure of the tanker. It was the smoke emission from other vehicles that sparked off the oil spill on the road,’’ he said.

Also speaking, Mr Hamzat Tommy, the Ijebu-Ode Zonal Commander of the state Traffic Compliance Enforcement, who gave the number plate of the tanker as XC 577 WWW, described the incident  as unfortunate.

Tommy said the body of the only victim had  been deposited at the General Hospital mortuary in Ijebu-Ode.

The Ogun Deputy Speaker, Mr Tola Banjo, who visited the scene, also described the incident as unfortunate.

``It is an unfortunate incident but at the same time it is a preventable one. It would have been averted if not for the careless attitude of other drivers whose vehicle emission  sparked off the fire,’’ he said.