At least five people have died and several others injured after a tanker conveying petroleum products fell in the Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The incident, it was gathered, occurred weekend, about one hour and thirty minutes after the tanker with the inflammable product fell and went up in flames when people were scooping the product, reports Channels TV.
Residents whose cars were parked close by hurriedly removed them to avoid being caught while the fire lasted.
Narrating the incident, an eyewitness told our correspondent, “After the petrol tanker fell, some of the product found its way into the gutter and was ignited as it flowed along by a fire from some residents cooking outside.
“Two children that went to fetch water were torched along the way, killing one in the process. The second is still battling for life in the hospital.
“A man who went to defecate in a nearby bush oblivious of the development was burnt in the process and about three people who were still scooping the product when the fire returned through the gutter path were burnt to ashes.
“It was the next day that we discovered their charred bodies. But we have about five deaths while around seven people have been injured so far,” he said.
The source, who does not want to be named, said some of the victims who were rushed to the hospital later died while others were transferred to UITH in Ilọrin because of the severity of their burns.
The spokesman of the Kwara Fire Service, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, confirmed the incident yesterday.
He said the fire was handled by the fire service of the Jebba Paper Mill, adding that several people were injured while some victims later died at the hospital.
“But I cannot put a figure to the casualties now,” he added.
