1 dies as petrol tankers crash

1 dies as petrol tankers crash

1 dies as petrol tankers crash

From Maryam Ahmadu-Suka, Kaduna

One driver died when two tankers carrying petrol and heading to Maiduguri in Borno State crashed along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.

The accident which occurred around 11.30am on Monday was allegedly caused by negligence on the part of the drivers who were said to be arguing while on motion on the major road.

Both sides of the express road were blocked for hours due to the enlarged fire fuelled by the petrol spilling from the tankers.

When our correspondent visited the scene yesterday, the part of the road where the accident occurred was completely black, while structures around the area, including electricity polls, filling stations and a gate man’s post had signs of smoke from the fire.

A witness at the scene who gave his name as Aliyu Musa said they got reports that the drivers had been arguing several minutes in the course of their journey before the crash. The witness said, “The drivers of the tankers are from the same company. They were arguing as people noticed them. They were driving side by side on the road and preventing motorists from passing.

When one of the tanker drivers passes the other, the other driver tries to prevent the other from passing and that is how they continued before luck ran out on them and they brushed each other, causing them to swerve and then to catch fire.”

He said one of the drivers was burnt beyond recognition while the other was rushed to the hospital as he was severely burnt.

The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mansur Isyaku said the accident was caused by reckless overtaking, that one driver died on the spot while the other was taken to the hospital.