A petrol-laden tanker fell and spilled its content Thursday night leading to a fire outbreak which burnt two persons to death, injured six others and destroyed 17 vehicles along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.
The Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Ogun State Command, Route Commander Florence Okpe, confirmed the figures in a statement issued on Friday.
According to Mrs. Okpe, the injured victims were rescued and taken to the Ota General Hospital, Ogun State for treatment.
The incident which occurred few minutes to 12am was blamed on a mechanically deficient truck conveying petrol that fell and spilled its inflammable contents which spread from the ShopRite Mall in Ota up to the FRSC Command Office located at the old Toll Gate, Ota.
She added that clearance of obstruction is still ongoing, while urging motorists especially tankers transporting flammable products like petroleum products to adhere strictly to the 1957 United Nations Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Roads which Nigeria recently acceded to.
The agreement requires trucks conveying dangerous goods, including petroleum products to be installed with tanker’s seal valve, which prevents the liquefied contents from spilling its contents in the event of a road traffic crash.
Mrs Okpe also confirmed that investigations have commenced into the cause of the crash and blamed the disaster on an uninstalled seal valve on the tanker.
She urged the relations of victims to visit the FRSC Command in Ota, Ogun State or the General Hospitals in Ota and Ifo for more information about the crash.
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