The tanker explosion which occurred at Araromi on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Thursday morning has killed no fewer than 10 persons.
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, Mr Ahmed Umar, has confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta, the capital of the state.
Umar revealed that the accident happened around Conoil in Araromi before Sagamu Interchange on the expressway.
He said five vehicles were burnt in the tanker explosion.
He added that the victims of the accidents were burnt beyond identification.
He narrated that the vehicles involved in the accident are: an Iveco truck with no registration number; a Mack truck marked AKL 198 ZT; an unmarked Howo truck, the Mack tanker and a Mazda bus marked FFE 361 XB.
He blamed the cause of the accident on overspeeding by driver of the Iveco truck.
“Driver of the Iveco truck, who was travelling on top speed lost control and rammed into the tanker, which resulted to fire outbreak due to leakage,”
He said that the Mazda bus caught fire, saying that all those in the bus lost their lives.
“The suspected cause of the multiple crash was excessive speed which led to loss of control on the part of the Iveco truck and smashed the tanker body which resulted to fire outbreak due to leakage.
“The Mazda bus got engulfed in the spark of the fire,” Umar said.
He said that the deceased victims were hospitalized to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.
Umar, after paying a visit to the scene of the accident, sympathized with families of the victims.
He sent message of advice to motorists to be conscious when driving, obey rules and regulations of the road, and as well put other other road users in consideration while driving.
The Informant247 had earlier reported that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has sent message of advice to motorists and member of the public to take alternative routes on Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
This came following a tanker explosion this morning at Araromi town before the Interchange.
Umar said: “The rescue operation is still on and people involved were yet to be confirmed because a bus is also involved.
“The crash scene was cordoned off to avoid secondary crash as traffic has been diverted.
“Men of Fire Service have arrived at the scene and effort is being made to put out the fire. Traffic has been temporarily diverted at Lufuwape U-turn to ease the traffic situation,” he said.
The sector commander has sent message of advice to motorists to be calm and work with managers of traffic controlling the situation,” he said.