From Idris Umar Momoh
Some persons lost their lives in a tanker explosion at the Koko junction end of the Ologbo bridge along Warri–Benin Highway in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, on Sunday morning.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said pregnant woman, children, and some elderly persons were among the dead.
The eyewitness said the tanker fell and spilled its contents on the road and some persons rushed to scoop fuel despite being warned by drivers and security men who had stormed the scene after they learnt of the accident.
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According to him, “we tried to prevent them but the youths threatened to beat us up telling us it’s their community. They came in their numbers carrying all sorts of containers; and when the explosion happened around 12:15 am this morning we all fled.
“You can see dead bodies on the ground, some of them ran into the forest. As I speak some dead bodies have been removed, I counted over 20 bodies,” he said.
But the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Delta State Command, Udeme Bassey Eshiet, said while 15 persons were involved in the accident, eight got killed while seven sustained various degrees of injuries.
He said those lost their lives were burnt beyond recognition.
He added that the accident occurred at 1am and that 15 vehicles, all commercial, including eight tankers were involved in the fatal crash.
The Sector Commander, who attributed the cause of the road crash to fuel explosion said officials of the commission and the Nigeria Police Force have cordoned off the scene.
