The Rivers State Police Command says four people and over 70 vehicles were burnt in Friday’s fuel tanker explosion in the state.
The explosion occurred along the Eleme section of the East-West Road in the state at about 7:30pm on Friday.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesman for the command, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Port Harcourt on Saturday that the tragedy occurred following a collision between a heavy-duty truck and a petrol-laden tanker.
A NAN correspondent who visited the accident scene reports that there were several burnt vehicles and charred bodies of victims on the road.
The incident happened a few metres from the Indorama Petrochemical Company and roughly 10 kilometres from the Port Harcourt Refinery.
There was an extensive gridlock stretching over five kilometres on the road under reconstruction as part of the N200 billion Ring Road project by the Rivers Government.
An eyewitness, Onyeka Ubani, who narrowly escaped the explosion, told NAN that while transporting passengers on his newly acquired tricycle (Keke), they heard a deafening sound ahead of them.
A distraught Ubani said: “The loud sound was followed by a massive fireball, causing everyone to flee for safety.
“We managed to escape, but unfortunately, my Keke caught fire in the process.
“I thank God for my life, but I am at a loss about what to do with my life now, having recently purchased this Keke.”
Another eyewitness, David Jumbo, said that he was returning home from work around the Akpajo axis of the East-west Road when the incident occurred.
He narrated that after the explosion, vehicles and victims were caught by fire which stretched over 200 metres.
Jumbo said: “It happened so quickly that it could be likened to scenes from Hollywood movies.
“While I was fleeing for safety, I saw a pregnant woman struggling to exit one of the commercial vehicles.
“Unfortunately, when I returned this morning, I found the deceased pregnant woman trapped in the bus as she tried to escape.”
Jumbo attributed the accident to the recklessness of truck drivers who disregarded road warnings despite the ongoing road construction.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, who visited the accident scene, described it as tragic and sad.
He urged motorists to always exercise caution while on the road.
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Fubara said: “This incident is not a pleasant one, we recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost.
“I have already asked the relevant agencies to brief us on how we can support the bereaved families to mitigate their losses.
“This incident would have been avoided if the motorists had adhered to proper conduct. People should ply this road with caution.”
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