On Tuesday, November 15, at the immigration intersection in Awka, the state capital of Anambra, a fuel-filled tanker detonated. The two truck occupants, it was learned, were unharmed when they exited the vehicle.
Sector Commander for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Corps Commander Adeoye Irelewuyi verified the occurrence and attributed it to speeding.
He stated, “A Minor Road Traffic Crash involving an Unidentified Driver of an Oil Tanker with No Registration Number occurred at Immigration Junction near the Awka-Enugu Expressway today, November 15, 2022, at approximately 06:50hrs.
“The accident included two male adults. No one was killed or hurt. The two occupants were both saved unharmed. The fire service is also on the scene to put out the fire, together with the FRSC rescue squad from RS5.3 Anambra Sector Command, which is in charge of regulating traffic.
The state’s fire chief, Engr Martin Agbili, who revealed that no one perished in the blaze, claimed that the tanker driver and his conductor left the site quickly after the accident.
Recall that a study from Daily Trust Saturday revealed that 60 distinct truck accidents and tanker explosions across Nigeria had resulted in at least 261 fatalities in the past year. 223 persons were hurt throughout the same period, according to reported cases.
There were 62 fatalities and 26 injuries between August and December 2020. Between January and August of 2021, 35 persons were also injured in addition to the 90 fatalities. 152 people died in truck accidents in one year, while 61 people were wounded.
109 persons were killed and 162 were injured in the 31 tanker explosions that were reported between August 2020 and June 2021.
Additionally, information from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) revealed that there were 1,070 crashes involving articulated vehicles, including 378 tankers and 792 trailers, between August 2020 and June 2021.
The explosions burned 111 vehicles, according to findings. Across other states, 84 homes and 55 retail establishments were set on fire. Lagos had the most incidences, seven, of which resulted in 14 fatalities, 45 injuries, and 47 vehicles being destroyed by explosions.
Three tricycles and eleven motorcycles perished in the fire. As a result of the incident, many assets were also lost, although their loss was not accurately recognized because some sources failed to count the number of automobiles, homes, and other properties that were set on fire.