By Deborah Nnamdi
A petrol tanker carrying 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit exploded on Thursday evening at Celica Junction along the new Ife Expressway in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Eyewitnesses reported that the incident occurred after the tanker suffered brake failure, causing it to lose control and collide with a Toyota Prado SUV and another vehicle. The impact caused the tanker to overturn and ignite.
“The tanker hit a Prado jeep and another car, then it fell and exploded,” an eyewitness recounted. “The fire affected both vehicles, but fortunately, no lives were lost.”
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said the explosion was reported at 6:27 p.m. Firefighters quickly responded, using chemical foam to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to a nearby NNPC petrol station and other properties.
“The fire was jointly extinguished by our team and officers from the Federal Fire Service,” Akinwande said. “No casualties were recorded, although the tanker and one car were severely damaged. The Prado SUV was also pushed into a nearby gutter by the impact.”
