Eyewitnesses Narrate How Tanker Explosion Kills  20  in Ondo

Fidelis David in Akure

No fewer than 20 people lost their lives following a tanker explosion at Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

THISDAY gathered yesterday  that the incident, which occurred Sunday evening, was as a result of a spark from a phone held by one of the persons who were scooping fuel that spilled from the tanker.

It was learnt that among the dead were three children and a pregnant woman with N100,000 to buy fuel.

However, speaking with Journalists who visited the scene for assessment, Mr Tijani Diekola revealed that the explosion was not as a result of a spark from a phone held by one of the persons who were scooping fuel that spilled from the tanker.

 His words: “I got here few minutes after the explosion and met some burnt corpses on the ground but the situation was so tensed and nobody could get near the place. It was this morning that some relatives of the victims were able to get the corpses of the affected people. None of them survive the incident because most of them were burnt beyond reasonable measures.

“This morning I met about 10 burnt dead bodies while those around the tanker cannot be recognised. They were packed inside a sack by officials of the FRSC. The tanker driver lost control of the vehicle and entered the ditch around 4:30pm. The people started trooping to the place of the incident, scooping the fuel until the ugly incident happened around 6.00 p.m.

“What actually happened was that the fuel started spilling into a stream in the community while the residents continue to scoop the fuel with buckets and kegs until the explosion occurred. Unfortunately, a woman was cooking in her kitchen when the inflammable product on the water caught fire, burning the woman to death while the fire travels back to the tanker.

Diekola added that a pregnant woman, crossing the stream near the scene with three other minors were caught in the river and were burnt beyond recognition.

“No one could move to safe them. Some other people who were close to the tanker were also badly affected. Their remains were packed this morning,” he said.

Another eyewitness, Awalu Saliu said: “ The tanker fell around 4:30 pm, I heard about it and I drove to this place from the town. Many people were taking fuel. The rain had stopped. I parked my motor-cycle and came down. After some time, we heard something like a boom. The fire started coming. There was another boom and we saw fire coming. Over 100 people scooping fuel directly from the tanker ran away. I also ran. I saw people carrying fuel and being trailed by the fire. Many people would have died if the fire had started from the tanker but it started where the water flowed to the residence of a woman who was cooking. The woman died instantly.”

Meanwhile, the Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ondo State Command, Ezekiel SonAllah and the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, said only eight people died in the incident.

SonAllah, specifically, explained that, “10 people were involved in the accident, the driver and motor boy escaped unhurt, but 8 villagers scooping fuel got burnt in the incident. Dead bodies were taken to General Hospital Ore morgue”.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has mourned the untimely death of the victims of the incident.

The party, in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, said the incident came as a shocking news, describing it as an unfortunate and lamentable occurrence.

The party urges Nigerians to be more careful with explosive items, no matter the level of temptation, saying petroleum products give no notice before explosion.

The statement read: “Times are hard, no doubt, but we are very certain that the situation will begin to relax very soon. We need to stay safe, and in good health to keep hope alive. We deeply sympathize with the bereaved families, friends and the Ore community. We pray God to comfort them.”

Also, the lawmaker representing Odigbo Constituency I, in the State House of Assembly, Ifabiyi Olatunji, described the incident as unfortunate, warning those having pleasure in scooping fuel from fallen tankers to stay away from such practice in order avoid early grave among residents.

He said: “I commiserate with families of those who were killed in Sunday’s fire accident at show boy area yesterday. This is unfortunate and our people must go away from scooping fuel from tankers. It’s deadly. I pray to God to grant those with injuries quick recovery and also the reposed eternal rest.”