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| A firefighter extinguishes the fire on the highway (for illustrations). |
At least 18 people have been confirmed dead following a horrible accident along the Ijebu-Ode/Ore Expressway in Nigeria. The accident occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The Channel TV reported that the accident happened after a Toyota Hiace, with registration number XA 690AKU, exploded in the middle of the road. What caused the Ore Expressway accident The Ogun State Traffic Agency confirmed that victims were burnt beyond recognition when petrol stored in a jerrycan inside the vehicle ignited. Preliminary investigations show that the petrol poured on the floor of the vehicle and later dropped in the exhaust pipe, causing it to catch fire.
“According to eyewitness accounts and this was corroborated by the driver, there was a keg full of Petroleum Motor Spirit inside the bus. It fell on its side when the vehicle got to a failed portion of the road. The PMS poured on the floor of the bus and later dropped on the exhaust pipe, causing the vehicle to catch fire in transit,” traffic report read as reported by News Central TV. The driver survived with partial burns and was rescued and taken to a local hospital, while the deceased were deposited at the mortuary awaiting postmortem. While warning drivers against storing fuel in jerry cans, the state officials expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
by Amos Khaemba