AT least five persons were killed and numerous others were injured when a tanker transporting petroleum products fell in Kwara State’s Moro Local Government Area.
The incident occurred over the weekend, roughly one hour and thirty minutes after the tanker carrying the volatile product fell and caught fire as people were scooping the product.
Residents whose automobiles were parked nearby hurriedly removed them to prevent being caught in the fire while the fire lasted
Narrating the incident, an eyewitness said: “After the petrol tanker fell, some of the product found its way into the gutter and was ignited as it flowed along by a fire from some residents cooking outside.
“Two children that went to fetch water were torched along the way, killing one in the process. The second is still battling for life in the hospital.
“A man who went to defecate in a nearby bush oblivious of the development was burnt in the process and about three people who were still scooping the product when the fire returned through the gutter path were burnt to ashes.
“It was the next day that we discovered their charred bodies. But we have about five deaths while around seven people have been injured so far,” he said.
According to a source who did not want to be named, some of the victims who were transported to the hospital eventually died, while others were moved to UITH in Illorin because to the severity of their burns.
Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, a spokesman for the Kwara Fire Service, confirmed the incident yesterday.
He stated that the incident was handled by the Jebba Paper Mill’s fire department and that several persons were hurt, with several victims subsequently dying at the hospital.
“But I cannot put a figure to the casualties now,” he added.
