….as eyewitnesses Claim Around 70 D£ad, 11 Vehicles B√rnt

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A horrific fuel tanker explosion occurred in Enugu State, Nigeria, on Saturday, resulting in the loss of many lives.

The tragic incident occurred at the Ugwu Onyeama, along Enugu- Onitsha expressway, when a fuel-laden tanker experienced brake failure while navigating the hilly road.

Recall that scores of people had been reportedly burnt to death in a petrol tanker accident that occurred at Ugwu Onyama Federal Highway on Saturday morning.

Also, several others were reportedly injured in the inferno which destroyed several vehicles.

SaharaReporters which visited the scene of the unfortunate incident learned that the petrol tanker which was going down to Enugu City, had a brake failure while descending the hilly road.

The tanker driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a water tanker belonging to JUHEL Nigeria Limited, which was going to 9th Mile to get water, causing a massive explosion that destroyed everything in its path.

The fire, which raged for a considerable distance of about 14 poles, engulfed 11 vehicles, killing their occupants. The Federal Road Safety Corps reported an official death toll of 11, though eyewitnesses estimated that the number of casualties was much higher.

They estimated that in tanker trucks – two people died; water tanker -one person; Toyota Camry – four persons; two Sienna buses – 16; a tricycle – four; Lexus – six; commuter bus – 19; minibus – eight; and L300 bus -14.

The drivers of the lowbed truck carrying an excavator and a Mack truck survived the accident without any injuries. Witnesses described the blast as devastating, with many victims burned beyond recognition.

An eyewitness, a tanker driver, who gave his name as Eziechina revealed that the tragic incident claimed so many lives.

He said some others who were injured have been taken to nearby hospitals.

He said, “Yes, there was a big tragedy this afternoon at Ugwu Onyama Federal Highway. A tanker carrying premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, fell at the hilly road and spilled the product down the road. Unfortunately, it caught fire and all the vehicles plying the road at the time caught fire and burned people beyond recognition.

“As I am speaking with you, over 10 people including children have been burnt beyond recognition. Some have just been loaded in a pick-up van to the morgue now. So many others have been loaded in a vehicle and taken to a morgue earlier. As we speak, there’s no road through Ugwu Onyama.

I am trapped somewhere in Ngwo. The situation is tragic. The second lane of the road is impassable. The fire raged along the road leading to Agu-abor tunnel.”

He lamented that rescue efforts were hindered by the intensity of the fire, making it challenging for bystanders to access the scene.

“Even two persons who came out of their vehicle thinking they could escape were caught in the fire and were burned to death.”

Meanwhile, a Federal Road Safety Corps officer who spoke to our reporter at the scene estimated that 99% of the victims were burned to ashes, making it difficult to determine the exact number of fatalities.

The road safety official said: “What we are doing now as you can see is that we are counting the number of the vehicles, their type and calculate the casualty figures based on the seating number.”

He added, “From my figure so far, nine vehicles were burned beyond recognition in addition to the tanker and water truck it collided with, making it 11 vehicles. A Mack truck was partially burned and nobody died in it. The lowbed truck carrying excavator was burned but luckily enough the driver escaped.”

According to him, “Looking at the vehicles, this is Toyota Camry, it carries four passengers and driver that is five; Sienna bus carries seven passengers and driver making it eight and we have two Sienna buses involved. We have a tricycle, which carries three passengers and with the driver, that makes it four; a Lexus vehicle involved; the relations of the occupants came and they were six in the vehicle.”

“We also have a commuter bus carrying mainly women from Nsukka and a bus normally carries 18 passengers and driver. The bus loaded passengers in Nsukka. We have a minibus and it carries seven passengers and a driver. We have L300 bus. Normally, it is a 14-seater bus and when you include the driver, the number will be 15. So you can calculate the figure. The lowbed truck carrying excavator and Mack truck; both drivers survived the incident,” he said.

The tragedy has sparked calls for the federal government to prioritise alternative transportation methods, such as railways and pipelines, to reduce the risks associated with tanker delivery systems.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State government has said that 11 persons died in the incident, while noting that Governor Peter Mbah has expressed sadness over the accident.

In a statement by the Governor’s media office, the governor spoke when he visited the scene for on-the-spot assessment.

According to the statement, the government has already swung into action to ensure that the victims receive full medical attention, while also taking steps to forestall future occurrences, including enforcement of road rules and fixing the part of the federal road in disrepair.

Describing the accident as unfortunate, Mbah commiserated with the families of the victims.

He further directed the Federal Road Safety Commission’s Sector Commander, Enugu, Mr Franklin Agbakoba, and the State Commissioner for Transport, Mr Obi Ozor, to ensure that all tankers conveying inflammable substances in the state have anti-spill lock that will prevent spill in case of accident.

“This is an accident involving a tanker that preliminary investigation shows may have had a brake failure, fell down, had its product, premium motor spirit spill from the tank and ignited. So, this is for us a tragedy where we have some casualties.

“But as I said, investigation is still at preliminary stages. The police and other law enforcement agencies are on it. We want to get to the root of this for us to understand the true cause of the accident.

“In the meantime, we have moved those that are in need of treatment to the hospitals for full medical attention. My Commissioner for Health and also my Special Adviser on Health, the Chief Medical Director of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital (ESUTTH), Parklane, Enugu, the police, and Federal Road Safety Corps are all involved. They have my instruction to ensure that maximum medical attentions were given to the survivors,” the governor stated.

Continuing, he stated, “But we’re also taking quick measures as a government.

” I have just been speaking the head of the Federal Road Safety Corps to make sure they enforce the rules that prohibit tanker drivers from the road without an anti-spill lock. Tankers conveying premium motor spirit and inflammable products must have an anti-spill lock to ensure that when these trucks fall down, they do not spill (their content). It is very important.

“Also, for us as a government, we are going to be looking at how we can deploy some traffic rules to ensure that we do not have a recurrence of this.

“We are obviously not going to wait for the federal government to fix the other section of the road. We as government are going to take steps to ensure that whatever needs to be done on that section of the federal road is done immediately so we would never want a reoccurrence of this.”

While briefing the governor on some of the preliminary investigation conducted by the FRSC. Its Sector Commander for Enugu explained that the tanker spill was caused by a brake failure.

He added that 11 people lost their lives at the scene, adding that injured road users were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

He thanked the governor for showing leadership by rushing to the scene and equally undertaking to foot the medical bills