By ABIRHIRE THOMAS, Asaba
An early morning fire from fallen fuel Tanker has claimed lives of many in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.
The fire incident was confirmed by the Delta State Police Command with the Commissioner of Police Wale Abass, who visited the scene, commiserating with families of the dead.
Our Correspondent on ground said the sad event occurred in the early hours of Sunday October 1, 2023.
Accordingto a statement signed and handed to The DEFENDER by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Edafe Bright, the recorded tragic incident happened after a tanker laden with Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, being driven towards Benin along Warri-Benin Road, fell down upon getting to Ugbenu Koko Junction.
“Its content spilled into the nearby swamp, and the spillage attracted couple of youths who took advantage of the incident and started scooping the fuel into jerry cans and other containers.
“While they were at it, an explosion erupted and the fire from the explosion engulfed the whole area.
“The fire claimed the lives of five persons amongst the youths who had come to scoop the spilled fuel, and also combusted several properties which includes the following: the fallen tanker, Eight buses of different makes, Two Tankers, Five Trailers, Two Motorcycles, One Siena space bus, and one ‘C’ Class Mercedes Benz car.
“Due to the fire, the registration numbers of all these affected vehicles were not clearly visible. At the event of this outburst, the scene was visited, and bodies of the victims were evacuated to Oghara General Hospital’s mortuary.
“In a bid to clear the road of obstructions efforts are being made by the men of Oghara Police Division, in colloboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission {FRSC} at Ethiope West LGA to ensure the free flow of traffic,” the statement said.
In the light of this tragic incident, the Delta State Police Commissioner, CP Wale Abass has extended his condolence to the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate event.
He further expressed his displeasure in the inexorable perversity of Nigerians, especially the youths. He stated that it is sad that we never learn from past occurences, since this isn’t the first time such incident has happened.
Nonetheless, he appeals that Nigerians should do away with greed and avoid scenes where there is an occurence of oil spillages as it pose a serious threat to their lives and the lives of others.
The CP also appreciates the Federal Road safety for working hand in hand with the Command in assuring convenience to all road users in Delta state.
