At least five persons were killed and numerous others were injured when a tanker transporting petroleum products collided in Kwara State’s Moro Local Government Area.
The incident occurred over the weekend, roughly one hour and thirty minutes after the tanker carrying the volatile chemical fell and caught fire as people were scooping the product.
Residents whose cars were parked nearby hurriedly withdrew them to prevent being caught in the fire while it was still burning.
“After the petrol tanker fell, some of the product found its way into the gutter and was ignited as it flowed along by a fire from some residents cooking outside,” one eyewitness said.
“Two children that went to fetch water were torched along the way, killing one in the process. The second is still battling for life in the hospital.
“A man who went to defecate in a nearby bush oblivious of the development was burnt in the process and about three people who were still scooping the product when the fire returned through the gutter path were burnt to ashes.
“It was the next day that we discovered their charred bodies. But we have about five deaths while around seven people have been injured so far,” he said.
The source, who does not want to be named, said some of the victims who were rushed to the hospital later died while others were transferred to UITH in Ilọrin because of the severity of their burns.
The spokesman of the Kwara Fire Service, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, confirmed the incident on Sunday.
He said the fire was handled by the fire service of the Jebba Paper Mill, adding that several people were injured while some victims later died at the hospital.
“But I cannot put a figure to the casualties now,” he added.