Two persons have died and no fewer than 13 vehicles got burnt in the early hours of Tuesday, as a fuel tanker exploded at the Ogere end of the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
According to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, the incident happened at about 4.00 a.m. when a tanker fell and spilt its content while another one laden with fuel in a gridlock exploded.
Akinbiyi said the fire incident was put off with the spirited effort of the men of the Fire Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and members of the public.
Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engr Noimot Salako-Oyedele led government delegation to the scene of the incident while submitting that quite a lot of valuables were lost as a result of the inferno.
She confirmed that two persons died in the incident after she had received a brief from officials of FRSC and TRACE.
Salako-Oyedele appreciated the effort of the officials of relevant agencies, for responding swiftly to the emergency.
The incident had caused heavy gridlock on the highway as TRACE urged motorists to ply other routes to their destinations.
“Vehicles moving inbound Lagos should go through Saapade-Ode/Remo-Iperu-Sagamu to relink Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“In addition, vehicles moving inbound Ibadan should also go through Sagamu-Iperu-Ode/Remo-Saapade to relink Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,” Akinbiyi said.