Two persons are feared dead after a tanker loaded with petrol skidded
off the road and spilled its content at Coconut under bridge along Apapa
Road, Lagos, and later caught fire.
No fewer than 29 vehicles
parked in a mechanic workshop under the bridge were also burnt, while
two cars inside a garage in the area were razed.
It was learnt
that trouble started after some miscreants besieged the tanker, which
fell at about 8pm on Sunday, to scoop fuel into jerrycans
They were reportedly running away from the scene when a jerrycan fell from one of them and subsequently caught fire.
It
was gathered that two persons were trapped in the fire, which spread
back to the scene of the accident and caused the tanker to explode.
Punch
correspondent, who visited the scene on Monday, counted 25 burnt
vehicles apart from the tanker as mechanics lamented their losses.
One
of the victims, Friday Asuquo, said five vehicles brought by his
customers for repairs were destroyed by the inferno, which raged for
about two hours.
He said, “I came to park a Toyota Matrix around
7pm yesterday (Sunday). As I got home, I was called on the telephone
that a tanker fell and it resulted in a fire incident. The fire didn’t
break out immediately. Some area boys were scooping fuel from the tanker
and it led to a fire incident.
“Apart from the Toyota Matrix,
three Jeeps of different brands, and a Big Daddy Toyota brought by my
customers were burnt. One of my customers has come, I am still expecting
others to come for us to discuss. About 30 vehicles were burnt in this
workshop. Some have been removed.”
Another mechanic, Shola
Adebayo, told Punch that he was relaxing at home when his apprentice
called him. He said four of his customers’ vehicles – Toyota Sienna,
Toyota Camry, a pick-up and ML – were razed.
“It was a great loss
to me and I don’t know what to tell the owners of the vehicles. My
income is not enough to cater to my family; but I believe God is in
control.
“Two of those scooping fuel suffered serious burns, but I don’t know whether they are alive or dead,” he added.
A member of a union at the garage, Sulyman Olanrewaju, said the fire started about an hour after the tanker fell.
Olanrewaju
said, “Speeding caused the accident. Then hoodlums began to scoop fuel
from the tanker. Some people tried to chase them away. In the process,
one of them fell while running away with the fuel in a jerrycan and it
resulted in the fire. The boy was caught in the fire and was rushed to a
hospital. I am not sure that he will survive.”
“The two cars
that got burnt here were brought for repainting. It was unfortunate that
the hoodlums engaged in this kind of act to wreak havoc on the property
of innocent people.”
A sympathiser, who did not disclose his
name, lamented the losses caused by the accident, saying that the tanker
driver fled the scene.
The fire service director, Rasaq Fadipe,
said, “The vehicle might have just left a depot and was going towards
Mile 2. The driver lost control of the vehicle and the tanker fell,
resulting in an explosion.
“The fire trailed the spilled content
to a mechanic yard, where over 50 vehicles were parked. Twenty one
caught fire, but we were able to prevent over 30 vehicles from being
burnt. Fire stations from Alausa, Sari Iganmu, Ilupeju and Isolo
responded. There was no casualty.”
Fadipe also advised motorists against speeding and urged them to always have functioning fire extinguishers in their vehicles.