Commuters scamper for safety, explosion averted on Ikorodu highway, as diesel (not petrol) tanker veers off road, tumbles, spills content

By Dayo Emmanuel

Firefighters "blanketed" the spilled diesel to prevent it from exploding. — Firefighters “blanketed” the spilled diesel to prevent it from exploding.

Motorists are being advised to avoid the ever busy Ikorodu expressway or find alternative routes to their destinations if they must go along the road linking the Lagos Island and the Mainland.

A tanker conveying diesel, Tuesday morning, fell on the road around Palmgrove bus stop, spilling some of its contents.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it was alerted to the incident around 6:30 a. m.

The timely intervention of traffic officials, men of the Nigerian Police, Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), and other stake holders, may have averted what initially held the promise of a disaster, Tuesday morning.

Efforts are now underway to transfer the remaining diesel in the fallen tanker into another tanker already transported to the scene.

Witnesses recounted how the incident unfolded.

“The tanker fell and spilled its contents while commuters ran for safety as any spark could have meant the end of many lives and the destruction of property worth several hundreds of millions of naira,” Clara Wilson who witnessed the incident told Newsroom.

Wilson, who was driving towards Lagos Island when she witnessed the accident said “we all were scared.”

“Security operatives passed vehicles at the scene swiftly and cordoned off the area to avoid other unsuspecting motorists from running into the spilled fuel,” she said.

Emergency officials are trying to transfer the remaining fuel in the fallen tanker into another an empty one they brought to the scene. — Emergency officials are trying to transfer the remaining fuel in the fallen tanker into another one they already brought to the scene.

Another eyewitness, Gbenga Jaiyeola, said: “We were so afraid and we had to jump out of the commercial bus we were in. We started running as fast as we could because it was a disaster already.”

“But thank God for the swift response of LASTMA officials, the firefighters and the police drafted to the troubled area.

“The firefighters spread a foam-like substance on the road to avoid fire.”

LASEMA spokesperson, Kehinde Adebayo, told Newsroom what the firefighter did is called “blanketing.”

He corrected media reports insinuating that the tanker was carrying petrol.

“It’s not a petrol tanker, it’s diesel,” Adebayo said.

“We want to assure Lagosians that everything is under control. We are putting safety first.”

Commuters at the scene advised the government and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to always check the stamina of tankers before allowing them to load fuel.

They have also advised the government to make tankers convey fuel in the night when the roads are relatively freer.