By Idris Ahmed, Lokoja.
About 30 persons are feared to have perished as a petrol tanker heading towards Abuja from the southern part of the country exploded on Wednesday at Felele area of Lokoja the Kogi state capital.
Five students of Kogi state Polytechnic, two secondary schools students as well as a primary school pupils who were on their way to schools were among the victims that were burnt to death beyond recognition in the inferno that followed the explosion.
The petrol tanker fully loaded with premium motor spirit, PMS and belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(,NNPC) was said to have hit a deep pothole on the road and subsequently lost control and rammed into ten other vehicles.
A business man identified simply as Samson, his wife and three children and a neighbours son who was given lift to school were equally killed in the accident
An eye witness who was at the accident spot, said he suspected that the brakes of the tanker loaded with PMS failed and in an attempt to manoeuvre, fell on its side smashed five vehicles that were trying to overtake it.
“I was about crossing the road when I noticed the tanker driver signalling to motorists to steer clear, but before you blink the eye, the Tanker was on its side falling on all vehicles beside it”
“Immediately the Tanker fell, fire started and incinerated all vehicles along its way” he said.
The fire from the fallen Tanker engulfed five cars, two tricycles and three motorcycles and several shops along the road.
Members of the road safety corps who arrived around 10 am came with an Ambulance from Rescue/rehabilitation team to evacuate the corpses of the victims who were already burnt beyond recognition, while locals made frantic efforts to identify them.
However, the sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp, Idris Fika Ali said 23 persons were killed in explosion while one child escaped with injuries
Meanwhile, the Kogi state Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello has expressed Shock and sorrow over the Fatal Tanker Explosion’
A statement issued immediately after the incident, by the chief press secretary to the Governor, Onogwu Mohammed, said that
“Governor Bello is very sad to learn of the tragic loss of lives, many vehicles, property and other valuables in the petrol tanker fire.
While expressing his deepest condolences to the family of those affected by the ugly occurrence, the Governor regretted that this is sadly the greatest tragedies the state has witnessed in recent times , describing the unfortunate accident as a sad development and shares the feeling of those who lost their loved ones in this incident.
The Governor also urged the students of Kogi State Polytechnic to remain calm and peaceful, stating that he equally shared in their grieving moment over the death of some of their colleagues in the disaster.
