An inferno was averted on Saturday at the domestic wing of Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) Lagos when a tanker loaded with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petroleum fell down and spilled its content.
The incident occurred at about 09:45a.m. within the airport environment after the driver allegedly lost control while descending the slope on the link bridge between Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja and the Lagos Airport.
The tanker would have ran into the headquarters of Arik Air or the Forte Oil filling station close to the old domestic airport also known as the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) but the driver reportedly manoeuvred the truck to hit the road median.
Emergency services were swiftly activated with the combined teams from Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aerodrome Rescue and Fire-Fighting Services and Lagos State Fire Services deployed to the scene.
The tanker was expected to discharge its content at the Forte Oil.
Daily Trust recalls that similar incident happened about 11 months after a tanker exploded and burnt down the filling station located in between the headquarters of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the domestic terminal.
The station was just reopened in June this year, our reporter gathered.
Our correspondent reports that fire-fighters who were immediately mobilised to the scene flushed the spilled fuel to prevent explosion.
The situation triggered gridlock on the MMIA road which was closed for the emergency services to be carried out.
A spokesman of the Lagos Fire Service, Shakiru Ahmadu, said the situation is under control as fire-fighters had moved in to ensure there was no explosion.
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