By Oluseye Ojo
The petrol tanker explosion that occurred in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, in the evening of Saturday made thousands of commuters to be stranded for several hours.
Though no life was lost to the incident, two articulated trucks, one 18-seater bus, two small commercial cabs, known as micra, one trycycle and three motorcycles were completely burnt as well.
According to eyewitnesses, the burnt vehicles included 18-seater bus with registration nunber AGL803XM.
The incident whicb occurred at the junction of Ibadan Circular Road/Ajia on Ibadan-Ife Road, was said to have happened around 4:30p.m.
An eyewitness said: “It was an unfortunate incident. It occurred when the tanker, which carried about 33,000 litres of petrol got to the Ajia Junction axis of Ibadan-Ife Road. Based on the ongoing construction of pedestrian bridge at the junction. At the place, there is traffic diversion. But the wheels of the truck got stuck. The driver tried to move the truck, which led to spinning of its tyres and spilling of petrol on the road.
“The spilling continued for about 10 minutes, which enabled people nearby and vehicles around to scamper for safety. Then, the tanker exploded.
“But drivers of the affected vehicles, having known that it was dangerous to drive near the tanker before it exploded, manoeuvred. Their vehicles were burnt, but they ran away when they saw traces of fire before the explosion.”
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Another source also revealed that “the contractor handling the construction of the pedestrian bridge had blocked one lane of the road. But the ground was not levelled very well for vehicles to cross to the otr lane.
“Prior to the explosion, most trucks and vehicles had been having issues to connect the other lane via the median.
The tanker reportedly burnt for two hours before it was eventually overpowered by fire fighters.
An official of Oyo State Fire Services, Mr. Akinyinka, when contacted, sid: “We received a distress call about the incident and immediately dispatched our men to the scene. As we speak, our firefighters are working tirelessly to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings.”
He also urged motorists and residents in the area to exercise caution and avoid the affected section of the road until the situation is brought under control.
Akinyinka stated further: “We will conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of this unfortunate incident. Our priority right now is to ensure the safety of the public and bring the fire under control.”
The burnt vehicles were said to have been towed away from the scene, and authorities are working on reopening the road to ease traffic.
A motorist sajd: “It’s unfortunate that this incident occurred, but we must remain vigilant and cautious, while on the road. Safety should always be our top priority.”
