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Nigeria: 15 Burnt to Death, as Petrol Tankers Explode in Lagos
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Daily Trust (Abuja)
25 July 2008
Posted to the web 25 July 2008
Olumide Bajulaiye
Lagos
Tragedy occurred in Lagos yesterday when 15 persons, including a pregnant woman and a soldier, were burnt to death as two petroleum tankers fell and exploded.
Daily Trust gathered that the accident occurred at about 5. 30 am when a petrol tanker hit another tanker carrying diesel.
Witnessses informed our correspondent that the incident occurred when the tanker conveying petrol out of Lagos and was trying to negotiate a bend lost control and collided with the other one loaded with diesel. "And immediately afterward there was an explosion and everywhere was on fire. Before commuters waiting to board early buses to their work places could run for dear lives they were caught in the fire", the witness said.
A spill on the road was said to have ignited fire which consumed the diesel tanker and led to an explosion of the petrol tanker.
Workers and motorists hurrying to work early in the morning were caught in the fire which spread along the Orile Iganmu area of the state. It also consumed six vehicles and their occupants.
The 15 victims were burnt beyond recognition, while many others suffered severe burns and have been have rushed to hospitals.
The accident caused traffic gridlock along the ever busy Badagry expressway for several hours as efforts were made to clear the road for those burnt and the injured by sympathisers and security agents.
It took officials of both the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) several hours before they could restore sanity to the area.
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The fire could not have caused severe damage if officials of Lagos State Fire Service had arrived the scene on time, and it took them three hours after the incident had occurred before they arrived the area.
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| Copyright © 2008 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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