Commuters stranded as petrol tanker explodes in Ibadan

Thousands of commuters plying the Ibadan-Ife expressway were stranded for several hours yesterday when a petrol laden tanker exploded and got burnt.

Two articulated trucks, one 18-seater bus, two small commercial cabs (micra), one tricycle and three motorcycles were also completely burnt in the incident.

However, no life was lost in the incident, which happened close to Iyana-Ajia Bridge, Egbeda area, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital city.

As of the time of filing this report, the tanker was still burning while the other affected vehicles had turned into ashes.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred when the fuel laden tanker, in an attempt to follow the diversion directed by the contractor handling the ongoing pedestrian bridge at Iyana-Ajia, got the wheels stuck, which led to spilling on fuel on the road. The witness explained that the spilling continued for about 10 minutes, which enabled people nearby and vehicles around to scamper for safety before the tanker eventually exploded in flames.

However, it was gathered the affected vehicles and motorcycles were trying to be smart by attempting to manoeuvre their way and make a U-turn back to Egbeda-Ibadan axis, but quickly abandoned their vehicles as soon as they saw traces of fire before the eventual explosion.

For about two hours that the tanker burnt, all vehicular movements were restricted.

Commercial vehicles who tried to access the main roads through the adjoining streets had a terrible experience due to the bad condition of the roads.

When The Nation visited, no fire truck was on sight.

It was observed that a few officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps were trying to understudy the situation.

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