Tanker explosion destroys buildings, properties in Delta

Tragedy struck Wednesday as properties valued at several billions of naira were razed following the explosion of a fuel-laden tanker that fell in Ekwuomah Town, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.

Newsmen gathered that incident occured whole an unidentified vehicle collided with the tanker while trying to overtake on Asaba- Agbor expressway.

It was learnt that the tanker driver while trying to avoid the smaller vehicle, lost control, causing the tanker to fall.

It was reliably gathered that immediately the tanker fell, it generated a lot of dust in the area, making it difficult for onlookers and passersby to see their next neighbour before it went aflame.

The inferno immediately spread to a residential building close to the spot the tanker fell and consumed it completely.

Speaking yesterday, an eyewitness who simply identified as Mrs. Ndudi, said, “I was coming from the opposite direction and this my neighbour’s children were going close to the road. I then asked them to know where they were going.

“I asked them to wait, so they were playing with me while waiting. The tanker was coming from Asaba to Agbor, what we heard was a loud sound of a vehicle that fell close to us. As it fell, dust covered everywhere.

“The next thing we saw, was fire. My neighbour’s children were running and I joined them but as I was running, the fire was following me behind, I don’t know where I and my neighbour’s children were. I was just praying God to help me and the fire was on before it burnt the entire house but no life was lost”.

She said ” The Fire Service personnel arrived late. Something that started about 3:00pm, they came about 6:00pm. We were angry and we started stoning them for coming late. It is only private tankers doing their commercial water businesses that came to assist.

“That is why the duplex and our building were not that affected before fire service came. We called Agbor, they said their fire truck was bad, we called Onicha-Ugbo, they said they have no gas. It was Asaba, fire service officers that came at last”.

One of the survivors, Saliu Muhammed, who narrated his ordeal disclosed that, “This tanker was coming from Asaba to Agbor. One car was trying to overtake the tanker when the tanker driver was trying to dulge the car and it fell.

“As soon as it fell, it gut fire. As it exploded, the fire spread to the building directly where it fell on and it crossed to the building where I am seating now and spread to the other building by the other side.

“But nobody died. It happened on Friday evening. I couldn’t pick anything from my apartment. What I am wearing now was what I was sleeping on when the incident occurred, I woke up to see fire but people rescued me.

Asked whether the state fire service were contacted, Muhammed said: “They did not come when the fire was on, it has consumed the entire compound and people were already battling with the fire on the other buildings when they arrived”, he narrated. (Agency report)