Three persons have been confirmed dead in a diesel tanker accident, as the tanker collided with another truck, causing a fire explosion, on a major bridge along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, in the early hours of Wednesday.
Although traffic is still heavy as officials are working to ease the tension on the roads, evacuation efforts are however almost over with men of the National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), NSCDC, fire service and the police, all combining resources.
Lagosians who usually ply the route, got up to a very ugly start on Wednesday morning, with the ghastly accident involving goods-laden truck, diesel tanker and some vehicles.
As early as 4:30am, traffic already started building-up, in what many thought was the usual traffic, which started last week due to the re-construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
According to passers-by, vehicles heading toward the axis were diverted to the inward-Lagos lane as officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) cordoned off the outward Lagos-lane.
A bus driver giving account of the event said he got caught up in the traffic which he thought was due to the U-turn before Secretariat bus-stop, but on getting to the U-turn, he saw FRSC officials diverting vehicles to the inward-Lagos lane.
Vehicles that were already ahead on the cordoned off lane started making a U-turn to join the inward-Lagos lane on sighting the diesel tanker accident.
Public vehicles that are Mowe-Ibafo bound, are dropping off passengers at Berger bus-stop, refusing to go further due to the diesel tanker accident, with passengers left with no other choice than to trek from Berger to their various destinations.
Another eye-witness who requested anonymity, explained that the failure of the fuel tanker’s brake system caused it to lose control and collided with the goods-carrying truck which led to the accident.
Thanks to the prompt alertness of the FRSC, LASEMA, Lagos State Firefighters, and Police who were able to bring the situation under control with rescue operations still ongoing.
FRSC Officials however warned motorists that are now driving against traffic, to be careful.
A spokesman for the FRSC told Channels Television that immediately the event occurred, “Our men, LASEMA and many other emergency response organizations, rushed to the scene of the accident.”
He believes that the accident was as a result of indiscipline of drivers.
“What you have seen is a classical example of indiscipline that has been happening on this road, since the commencement of the rehabilitation of the roads.
“As you can see, there are about four vehicles involved, which means two-lane carriage way had been converted to four-lanes and as a result, they struck themselves and there was a crash and also an explosion of fire.”
He, however, gave the assurance that the debris would be cleared while the traffic would ease as soon as possible.
