Two killed in Lokoja diesel tanker fire

news24

Lokoja-  Two persons were killed  while properties worth millions of naira got burnt when a tanker with diesel caught fire in Felele area of Lokoja, Kogi, on Wednesday night.

The incident happened when the driver of the tanker, coming from the Okene end, suddenly lost control at about 10.00 pm on Wednesday night.

The vehicle rammed into a block of 10 shops and two other buildings in the process of maneuvering out of danger.

NAN gathered that the tanker went into flames while its content spilled to the main road and other parts of the area.

 The fire later spread to two other houses, including a hotel, while three vehicles parked within the vicinity also went up in flames.

NAN gathered that the two persons who got burnt completely in the crash were the driver and the motor boy of the fuel tanker.

Some other people were also said to have sustained injuries while scampering for safety.

Men of the state fire service and some good Samaritans had hectic time putting out the fire which was still on 10.00 in the morning on Thursday.

The state Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Godwin Omiko, said that his men were immediately sent to the scene.

He said his men were able to free the area of traffic as it was on the ever busy Lokoja-Abuja road.

The state Deputy-Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, who later visited the scene, directed the State Emergency Management Agency to move in to provide relief to the victims.

He also directed public hospitals in the city to give free medical care to people who sustained varying degrees of injuries in the inferno.

Awoniyi asked the FRSC and security agencies in the state to ascertain the identity of the two persons who died and get their relations informed immediately.

He warned people to be wary of the dangers of building close to main roads, saying that builders must at all times adhere to town planning laws and building codes.

 Some of the victims, especially shop owners, appealed to the state government to come to their aid.

One of them, Kabiru Kakanda, a grain seller, said he lost bags of rice, maize and millets worth N250 000 to the fire incident.

The trader, who said that he had stocked the grains in anticipation of the coming Eid-el-Kabir festival, said that he and other shop owners were petty traders.

He said that it would be difficult to return to his business without the support of the government.