Six dead, several injured as petrol tanker explodes in Kwara

At least six persons were confirmed dead on Wednesday after a petrol tanker exploded in Jebba, Kwara state.

The incident also left several persons injured, while over 30 buildings were razed.

According to a statement issued by Rafiu Ajakaye, chief press secretary to the Kwara governor, the driver of the tanker lost control and rammed into residential buildings in the area.

However, fire fighters were eventually able to bring the inferno under control.

Confirming the deaths, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, governor of Kwara, commiserated with the victims and called for calm.

“The Governor is very sad at this development especially with the loss of lives and millions of naira worth of properties and farmlands. He sends his heartfelt condolences to the affected families,” the statement reads.

“He urges them to take heart and remain calm as believers. He has also directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to quickly move in to determine the material loss.

“He also commends the Kwara State Fire Service and other responders for their efforts which helped to curtail the raging inferno and minimised the loss. Once again, he condoles with the victims and their families on this very sad incident, and prays to God Almighty to repose the souls of the deceased.”

Petrol tanker explosions are not uncommon in Nigeria, and President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern about such incidents, describing them as “unfortunate and large-scale tragedies which cause needless deaths”.

The president stated this while speaking on a similar explosion in Kogi, which left at least 25 persons dead.

“Ours is a country where we move on whenever tragedies occur instead of taking preventive safety measures to forestall future calamities,” a statement by Garba Shehu, the president’s spokesman, quoted Buhari to have said.

“Refusal to do the right thing can cause potential tragic problems that harm innocent people.

“Nigeria is not having a shortage of laws and regulations, but our problem is lack of zeal to enforce those laws and regulations for the sake of public safety.”

On November 7, two persons were also confirmed dead after a petrol tanker exploded on Kara bridge, a section of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.