Eleven people have suffered varying degrees of burns following a petrol tanker explosion in Oluku, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The victims were taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital after the tanker, which reportedly fell in the morning, exploded around 1 pm on Thursday as residents scooped fuel from it.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that petrol spilled from the tanker into nearby drainage channels around which shops had been built at Oluku Market.
He added that the fire spread to shops in the market and affected several vehicles amid the ensuing chaos.
“I was also among those scooping the fuel. I escaped by whiskers. It was a soldier who called me and drew my attention to the fact that the weather was sunny and the way people rushed to scoop the fuel could ignite a fire.
“As I looked back after he spoke to me, the tanker burst into flames as people around the area ran for their lives. I thank the soldier; if not, I would have been burnt by now,” the eyewitness said.
The source added that two men from northern Nigeria who were directly beneath the tanker sustained burns, while shops built over the drainage channels were also destroyed by the fire.
“We are yet to know the number of people who died. However, 10 people were rushed to the emergency unit of the UBTH,” the source said.
At the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, emergency teams were deployed to provide medical care for those injured in the explosion.
The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, coordinated the response, directing teams in the accident and emergency and burns units to stabilise severely injured victims and reduce the risk of deaths.
Meanwhile, officials of the Edo State Fire Service were at the scene working to bring the fire under control.