No fewer than 25 lives were lost while 15 others were seriously injured in a petrol tanker fire on Tuesday in Kwara State.
The incident occurred due to an accident at Peke village along the Oko-Olowo area on the Ilorin/Bode-Saadu/Jebba express road.
The accident involved a petrol tanker with registration number JJN 17 XW, a heavy-duty truck, and an 18-seater bus.
Eye witness accounts revealed that the petrol tanker which was travelling from Niger State, was driving on the wrong side of the road which resulted in a head-on collision with a heavy-duty truck from Lagos State.
The collision, it was further gathered, ignited a fire that rapidly consumed both vehicles and also affected the 18-seater bus which was also coming from Lagos.
The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Stephen Dawulung, confirmed the accident to our correspondent on Wednesday, adding that he would provide the details later.
He said that some of the corpses recovered from the scene had been buried by their relatives.
The incident which was also confirmed by the Kwara State Director, Fire Service, Mr. John Falade, said that firemen responded to a fire at the village at about 3.18 p.m. on Tuesday.
“On November 28, 2023, around 15:18 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire at Peke village along Oko-Olowo Bode-Saadu Expressway in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State.
“The firemen diligently worked to quench the inferno, but unfortunately, 25 lives were lost, and around 15 people were rescued with injuries,” he said.
.Falade expressed deep sorrow over the incident that claimed many lives and stressed the need for road users to prioritise safe driving practices.
He also warned drivers and other road users to adhere to safety measures consistently when driving on the roads.
