A petrol tanker belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with 45,000 litres of petrol, caught fire on Tuesday while discharging the product at a filling station along Abdulsalami Abukakar Way, Apo, Abuja.
There was no loss of life but the tanker was completely burnt down, while the filling station was partly affected.
Mr Jeremiah Abimaje, Branch Manager, NNPC Mega Station, said that the cause of the fire was unknown.
“No one can really say what actually caused the fire out-break; the tanker came with the product and was off-loading its product when it suddenly caught fire, “he said.
He said that prompt arrival of men of the Fire Service prevented the fire from engulfing the filling station and other properties in the neighborhood.
An eye witness, Mr Monday Osadolor, said that men of the fire service were able to contain the fire because the station was not selling fuel when the incident occurred.
“If it was a normal day when there are many cars around this road, many people would have lost their lives,” he said.
Mr Jaji Abdulganiyu, Operations Commander, Federal Fire Service,who led his men to the scene, said the service was committed to put fire out-breaks under control in the FCT.
“Our officers will always respond promptly whenever they are called upon for emergency situations like this,” he said.
He, however, advised Nigerians that necessary precautionary measures should be put in place at all times to prevent both domestic and industry fire disasters.
Meanwhile, five persons died on Tuesday in an accident involving a Mercedes Benz truck and a Mazda bus in Sagamu on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State.
The Sector Commander of the FRSC in the state, Mr Adegoke Adetunji, who confirmed the incident, said that the bus lost control and ran into the truck which was also on motion from the rear.
Adetunji said in Abeokuta, the state capital, that 23 persons were involved in the accident, with five confirmed dead while 16 sustained injuries.
“We went to the scene and met the crash which involved the truck and the Mazda bus.
“A Mazda bus with registration number APP36XA and a Mercedes Benz truck with registration number GNN774XA were travelling to Ibadan before they rammed into each other.
“We understand that the bus, which was on a high speed, lost control and rammed into the moving truck and was torn into pieces because of its bad shape.
“The bus was not in good shape and was not supposed to be on the road.
“Motorist should obey the speed limit and ensure that their vehicles are properly maintained. They should also install speed limit device in their vehicles,’’ he said.
Adetunji said that the corpses of the victims had been deposited at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital mortuary in Sagamu while the injured were also being treated in the health facility.
