Two people were burnt to death while many others got various degrees of burns on Friday afternoon as a petrol-laden tanker exploded along the busy Owerri-Onitsha road in Imo State.
Our correspondent gathered that the incident happened at the Irete area by Forte Oil Filling Station.
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Though the cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, panic-stricken residents scampered to safety as bellows of smoke filled the skies.
The dead victims were said to be a man passing by and a woman coming back from a nearby market.
It was gathered that for the timely intervention of the men of the state fire service, the explosion would have wrecked more havoc.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed the incident.
Ikeokwu, who confirmed only one casualty, said a team of policemen had been drafted to the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
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