With about 70 automobiles consumed and five fatalities recorded in a petrol tanker fire at the Eleme portion of the East-West Road in Rivers State on Friday night, Gov. Siminalaye Fubara has visited the scene, promising the bereaved families succour.
The grief-stricken governor said the state government would intervene and cushion the losses.
Persecondnews gathered that the accident was caused by a heavy-duty truck and a petrol-laden tanker colliding.
The tanker’s contents spilled and caught fire, causing the fire to spread over a considerable distance, including a long stretch of vehicles plying the Akpajo-Onne Road in gridlock, which is a usual occurrence on the road currently under construction.
“I was approaching Akpajo Bridge when I saw a thick hold-up. While I and other automobiles attempted to go, we observed individuals sprinting and yelling.
“Just as I was approaching Akpajo Bridge, I saw this thick smoke ahead. But as I tried to manoeuvre and move further, I saw people running and yelling, Fire, fire. I just became confused, and then it even became more difficult for me to reverse my vehicle.
“Myself and other motorists got out and ran to a safe distance,” a witness who gave his name as Osai said.
Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the State Police Command, confirmed the fatalities, saying: “For the time being, about five people have died. The Commissioner of Police and his team were at the scene yesterday night to maintain law and order.”
Fubara, during a visit on Saturday, along with the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mr. Olatunji Disu, and the State Director of the Department of State Service (DSS), said: “We are here to see for ourselves to get a first-hand report of the incident that happened yesterday about 7:30 p.m. that was caused by a tanker conveying PMS.
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama, and I immediately alerted the security agencies to make sure they stepped in. From what we are seeing this morning, it is not a pleasant situation.
“From what I am seeing, a huge number of vehicles were destroyed and souls lost. I have asked the security agencies to give us a full brief so that we can come into the situation fully by seeing how much we can support the families who are bereaved and how we can cushion the loss, which is no fault of theirs.
“We all know the situation on this road, and it is really, really unfortunate. Most of our people, when plying this road, should ply with caution. I strongly believe that this situation would have been avoided if the motorists had behaved properly.
“It is late. This is the situation we find ourselves in, and we will see how much we can control it.”
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