Tragedy struck on Thursday morning around the Sagamu axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when a tanker explosion claimed the lives of 10 persons.
The explosion occurred around 1 am today around Araromi town, after the Conoil filling station towards Sagamu Interchange on the outward Lagos section of the expressway.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in Ogun State, Ahmed Umar, told Channels Television that two fuel-laden tankers, two trucks, and one bus were involved in the explosion.
Umar said three of the vehicles were burnt in the inferno.
He also said while 12 persons were involved in the inferno, 10 persons were burnt to death while two occupants of the vehicles escaped.
The FRSC official added there is a possibility of discovering more casualties as recovery efforts are ongoing.
According to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Ogun Sector Command, efforts are on to bring the situation under control.
FRSC advised motorists to make use of alternative routes to avoid unnecessary delays.
First responders including firefighters were seen at the scene as of the time of filing this report.
Umar said the burnt persons were taken to Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital in Sagamu while some of the burnt vehicles were towed off the road leaving the two tankers for the fuel content to be transloaded.
He said while the cause of the incident remained unknown, eyewitnesses attributed it to overspeeding by one truck who lost control to smash the body of the tanker.
“The rescue operation is still on and the people involved are yet to be confirmed because a bus is also involved.
“The crash scene cordoned off to avoid a secondary crash, and traffic has been diverted,” the commission said.
The commission also urged motorists to remain calm and cooperate with traffic managers managing the situation.
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