Gov Mbah visits Enugu tanker explosion scene as 18 confirmed dead
By Jeffrey Agbo
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has expressed sadness over the petrol tanker explosion on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway which claimed 18 lives on Saturday.
The incident occurred around 11.30am when a fuel-laden tanker while descending a hill collided with a water truck belonging to JUHEL Nigeria Limited, triggering an explosion that caused widespread panic.
A spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Olusegun Ogungbemide, in a statement, said the crash involved 17 vehicles, including a petrol tanker, a water tanker, 15 cars and a tricycle.
Ogungbemide said, “A total of 31 people were involved in the crash. Ten were rescued with varying degrees of injury, while three escaped unscathed. Unfortunately, the remaining 18 victims were burnt beyond recognition.”
“The tanker experienced brake failure, and the driver lost control, leading to a collision with 17 vehicles,” the statement added.
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Mbah, who was at the Ugwu-Onyeama scene of the accident for on-the-spot assessment, said the government had already swung into action to ensure that the victims received full medical attention.
The governor also revealed that the government was taking steps to forestall future occurrences, including enforcement of road rules and fixing the part of the Federal road that was in disrepair.
Mbah commiserated with the families of the victims, describing the accident as “unfortunate”.
He directed the FRSC Sector Commander in Enugu, Franklin Agbakoba, and the state’s Commissioner for Transport, Obi Ozor, to ensure that tankers conveying inflammable substances have anti-spill locks that would prevent spill in case of an accident.
“This is an accident involving a tanker that preliminary investigation shows may have had a brake failure, fell down, had its product, premium motor spirit, spilled from the tank and ignited.
“So, this is for us a tragedy where we have some casualties.
“But as I said, the investigation is still at preliminary stages. The police and other law enforcement agencies are on it.
“We want to get to the root of this for us to understand the true cause of the accident,” he said.
The governor noted that in the meantime, he had moved those that were in need of treatment to hospitals for full medical attention.
