There was pandemonium on the busy Oshodi-Apapa expressway in Lagos during the morning hours of Thursday 7th of January 2021 when a petrol-laden tanker exploded in the middle of the road. Media sources claim that many residents and motorists plying the road were thrown into a serious panic as the fire incident reportedly lasted for some hours.
Petrol-laden tanker explodes on Oshodi-Apapa expressway causing massive fire outbreak and panic
According to press reports, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of NEMA in Lagos, confirmed the news of the unfortunate incident to NaN (News Agency of Nigerian). Mr Farinloye explained that the fire incident occurred around 9.15 am on January 7 at the busy Toyota Bus stop very close to the junction of Oshodi-Airport road and directly opposite the Lagos Fire Service station of that area.
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye revealed that the affected tanker was fully loaded with a total of 44,000 litres of petrol (PMS) when the explosion occurred. He further disclosed that the tanker actually crashed on its side with a separate trailer carrying iron rods. Mr Farinloye alleged that reckless driving must have resulted in the collision between the petrol tanker and the trailer before the explosion and fire incident ensued. He stressed that the response team believed the drivers of the two heavy-duty vehicles tried to “outsmart” each other on the busy road when the incident occurred.
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As of the time of writing this report, reliable sources claim that the Lagos state fire service personnel were able to detach the tanker head from its burning body and they have contained the fire outbreak.
Below is a press report video that captured the moment when Lagos firefighters were still trying to curb the fire outbreak caused by the tanker explosion.
OSHODI-APAPA IN LAGOS ON FIRE AS FUEL TANKER EXPLODES
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