The incident, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, happened at about 11 a.m. in Ugwu Onyeama along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway in Enugu State.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed that 18 people were burnt to death on Saturday when a petrol tanker exploded in Enugu State, south-east Nigeria.
The incident, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, happened at about 11 a.m. in Ugwu Onyeama, along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway in Enugu State.
How it happened
A witness, Sunday Ugwumba, told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday night that the petrol tanker was coming down to the hilly area when the driver lost control and hit vehicles at the front.
"The tanker failed and the fuel (petrol) now poured out and caught fire. All the vehicles at the front and back of the tanker and people inside the vehicles were burnt," Mr Ugwumba, a commercial bus driver, said.
"About 100 people died," he claimed.
FRSC speaks
Olusegun Ogungbemide, the FRSC national spokesperson, said in a statement on Saturday night that the FRSC team also rescued 13 motorists from the inferno.
"A total of 31 people were involved in the crash. 10 were rescued with different degrees of injuries while 3 got rescued unharmed. Unfortunately, the 18 remaining victims were burnt beyond recognition," he said.
He added that Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, his transport commissioner, and the State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, took part in the rescue operation.
Others were the FRSC zonal commanding officer in charge of RS9 Enugu, the sector commander Enugu and state director of the State Security Service.
The FRSC spokesperson attributed the crash to brake failure, adding that 17 vehicles were involved in the incident.
"From the preliminary report received by the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, the tanker which was loaded with premium motor spirit (petrol) experienced brake failure and the driver lost grip of the wheels before crashing onto the 17 vehicles leading to a fire outbreak that left 11 vehicles burnt," he stated.
Mr Ogungbemide said the FRSC team swiftly diverted traffic to the inward Enugu lane in order to ensure ease of movement along the route.
He said evacuation of burnt vehicles was still ongoing.
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The spokesperson said Shehu Mohammed, the FRSC corps marshal, has called on motorists plying the said road to exercise caution and use the alternative routes for safety and ease of vehicular movement.
Mr Mohammed commiserated with the families of the victims and wished the injured quick recovery.
Not the first time
There have been frequent road crashes along Ugwu Onyema section of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway in recent years.
Many have attributed the frequent crashes in the area to the deplorable state of one lane of the road.
Hundreds of people have been killed and several others injured in cases of crashes along the road in recent times.
The tanker crash in Enugu also adds to the growing trend of tanker crashes across Nigeria. Hundreds of people have been killed in recent years in tanker crashes in different states.
