Abigail Erhiagboje
Timely arrival of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority Response Unit (LASTMARU) alongside the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services (LASFRS) saved the residents of Surulere from a tanker fire explosion on Tuesday, 10 October 2023.
The tanker carrying petrol fell on the Stadium Bridge inward Barracks/Ojuelegba on Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, Lagos.
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According to a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, the tanker with registration number T-22032EA had fallen on a Golf Volkswagen car (KRD 810 EA) and the petrol spilled all over the expressway.
The Director also disclosed that policemen from Area ‘C’ police division at the barracks also showed up at the scene and worked together with LASTMA and LASFRS to prevent any tragedy from taking place.
Motorists plying the route were redirected to the service lane to continue their journey while they worked to safely remove the truck from the road.
Furthermore, the statement revealed that the LASTMA officials deployed to scene had to work tirelessly to ensure that the area was safe from area boys and other members of the public who had come along with various containers to scoop the leaking petrol on the road.
He further mentioned that the Conoil tanker which had fallen, carried fuel all the way from Apapa and was on its way to deliver the fuel at Ikeja. It said that a preliminary investigations by the authorities revealed that the tanker suddenly encountered a brake failure while descending the bridge.
The leader of the LASTMA rescue team to the scene, Mr. Olukoga Olajide also said that the driver of the tanker, Sefiyu Adamu, had been arrested and handed over to the police for further investigation.
According to him, “You will recall that the Lagos State Government restricted trucks, including petroleum tankers drivers from plying Ojuelegba, Stadium and Dorma-long bridges to forestall further accident on the bridge.”
