Oyo State Fire Services Agency has averted an explosion from a petroleum tanker carrying 60,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol, as it lost control and somersaulted on the highway.
The incident occurred at Irepo Junction on the Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses, Kunle Olanrewaju, Kazeem Ogunwuyi and Bankole Adebayo told The PUNCH that, ‘The tanker, with Number Plate: KANO KMC 65 ZC, loaded with PMS, lost control whilst in motion and somersaulted.
‘Though no casualty was recorded, the incident caused serious gridlock as travellers and motorists sought refuge at nearby trees pending the time fire brigades covered the spillage with chemical foam’.
Confirming the incident, on Thursday, the Chairman of the state Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said, ‘The incident was reported at exactly 3:51 pm on Wednesday, 11 June, and the agency’s personnel swiftly responded to the emergency call.
‘On arrival, we met a falling HOWO trailer tanker with registration number KMC65ZC (Kano) of 60,000 litres capacity, loaded with PM. It lost control whilst in motion and somersaulted to the roadside with its contents gushing out.
‘We quickly covered the spillage with chemical foam compound to neutralise the flame of the liquid, which can trigger naked fire from close or distant place’.
He explained that the accident was due to lack of absolute concentration whilst driving by the truck driver.
‘The Federal Fire Service was also in attendance during the operation. The Nigeria Police from Ojongbodu Division, Oyo, was at the scene of the accident for security cover’, he added
