Fuel tanker explodes in Ibadan

By Rotimi Omole - 14.05.2008

WHAT could have resulted into a tragedy in Ibadan, Oyo State, was averted on Tuesday morning along Soka area of Sanyo, as 36 passengers narrowly escaped death when a fuel tanker caught fire during an accident.

An eyewitness told Nigerian Tribune that the tanker, which was heading towards Iwo Road, skidded off the road when a car suddenly crossed the road while the trailer was on a top speed.

According to him, “the trailer, which had swerved off the road to avoid head-on collision with the car, ran into a deep pothole by the side of the road and somersaulted before going up in flames.

“Two commercial buses, which were also speeding and loaded with passengers coming behind the trailer narrowly escaped a collision with the tanker as the drivers manoeuvered their way back to the main road.”

The four occupants of the trailer were said to have escaped unhurt.

When the Nigerian Tribune visited the scene of the accident, about 20 officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) were seeing controlling traffic that had built up on the expressway as a result of the accident, while three fire-fighting vehicles from the state fire service were deployed to the scene.