No fewer than five persons are affected while 12 vehicles, including four BRT buses, have been burnt beyond recognition in a fuel tanker explosion that happened in the early hours of Thursday at Ilo Awela area, Sango Tollgate on the Lagos -Abeokuta Expressway.
The Editorial gathered that two persons were burnt to death and three were injured by the raging inferno.
Confirming the incident, Mrs Florence Okpe, the Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, said the explosion happened around 1:30 am Thursday.
She said: “FRSC carried out a rescue operation at about 1:30 am Thursday involving a tanker laden with PMS while ascending Ilo Awela slope adjoining Abeokuta-Lagos section of the expressway, fell and went into flame.
“Men of the fire service were contacted immediately and the area was cordoned to prevent a secondary crash.
“As at 4: 05 am a total of 12 vehicles were involved which comprised of three Luxurious buses, four tricycles, three motorcycles, one yellow bus and a tanker.
“A total of three persons were rescued to Ota General hospital (02 male adults and 01 female adult) seriously burnt.
“Two bodies burnt beyond recognition have been evacuated from the scene,” she said.
A source said that the inferno was put out by the combined efforts of the Ogun State fire service, Lagos state fire service and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
It was gathered that security and safety agencies were still at the scene monitoring traffic while the operation to remove all the carcasses at the scene of the incident is said to be underway.