A tanker transporting 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, overturned and exploded on Monday at NICO Farm along the Iseyin/Oyo Road in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to reports, the tanker, bearing the registration number Lagos LM62XP, lost control while in motion, veered off the road, somersaulted into a nearby ditch, and subsequently caught fire.
The incident was confirmed by the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in Ibadan. He stated that fire service personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene to put out the blaze upon receiving the report.
The chairman said, “The fire incident was reported at exactly 10:46hrs on Monday.
“Immediately the address was received, the firemen led by PFS1 Azeez swiftly deployed to the scene of the incident and on arrival, it was a trailer tanker registered no LM62XP (Lagos) loaded with a 45,000 litres capacity of PMS, lost control whilst on motion and somersaulted into the nearby ditch and caught fire.
“The firemen quickly swung into action and applied chemical foam compound, preventing it from exploding and curtailed it from affecting any nearby structure or vehicle.
“The fire was completely extinguished and normal vehicular movement restored back on the road,” Akinwande explained.