A fuel tanker explosion which occurred along Eleme section of the East-West Road of Rivers State has claimed lives of four persons, as well as over seventy vehicles burnt at about 7.30pm on Friday, with charred bodies of victims on the road
Penpushing reports that the incident happened a few meters from the Indorama Petrochemical Company and roughly 10 kilometres from the Port Harcourt Refinery which caused extensive gridlock stretching over five kilometres on the road under reconstruction as part of the N200 billion Ring Road project by the Rivers Government
The report by a witness Onyeka Ubani who miraculously escaped the explosion while transporting passengers on his newly acquired tricycle (Keke), said they heard a deafening sound ahead of them.
‘The loud sound was followed by a massive fireball, causing everyone to flee for safety. We managed to escape, but unfortunately, my Keke caught fire in the process. I thank God for my life, but I am at a loss about what to do with my life now, having recently purchased this Keke’, Ubani said.
Penpushing also reports that, David Jumbo, another witness in his narration said that he was returning home from work around the Akpajo axis of the East-west Road when the incident occurred adding that after the explosion, vehicles and victims were caught by fire which stretched over 200 metres.
‘It happened so quickly that it could be likened to scenes from Hollywood movies. While I was fleeing for safety, I saw a pregnant woman struggling to exit one of the commercial vehicles. Unfortunately, when I returned this morning, I found the deceased pregnant woman trapped in the bus as she tried to escape’, Jumbo stated.
The witness in additional narration pointed out that the accident was as a result of the recklessness of truck drivers who disregarded road warnings despite the ongoing road construction, lamenting that it was a disaster.
Penpushing reports that the Rivers State Police Command Public Relations Officer Grace Iringe-Koko who confirmed the incident on Saturday said the tragedy occurred following a collision between a heavy-duty truck and a petrol-laden tanker.
The Rivers State government trucks, accompanied by police and Federal Road Safety Commission(FRSC) officials as at the time of filing this report were seen evacuating the burnt vehicles to facilitate traffic flow.
Penpushing further reports that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, on visit to the accident scene, described it as tragic and sad equally urged motorists to always exercise caution while on the road, stressing that the accident was not a pleasant one.
‘This incident is not a pleasant one, we recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost. I have already asked the relevant agencies to brief us on how we can support the bereaved families to mitigate their losses. This incident would have been avoided if the motorists had adhered to proper conduct. People should ply this road with caution’, Fubara said.
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