The Delta State Police Command has said only five persons were burnt to death in the tanker fire that occurred along Warri- Benin Highway in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State on Sunday.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bright Edafe, in his terse reaction to the tragedy on Sunday afternoon, said eight buses, two tankers, five trailers, two cars and one motorcycle caught in the inferno were burnt to ashes.
“The fire incident that occurred at oghara today, we have recorded five death, Eight buses, two tankers, five trailers, two cars and one motor cycle burnt completely,” he noted.
It was gathered that the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, was a result of a spark from a faulty vehicle.
Like the Jesse pipeline explosion of 1998 that killed scores of village folks scooping fuel, the persons caught in the Sunday tanker fire were said to be scooping fuel that spilled from the fallen tanker.
Meanwhile, some sources had said that the tanker fell and spilled its contents on the road with some rural folks taking advantage of the situation to scoop fuel against repeated warnings.
“We tried to prevent them but the youths threatened to beat us up telling us its their community.
“They came in their numbers carrying all sorts of containers and when the explosion happened around 12:15 a.m this morning we all fled.
“You can see dead bodies on the ground, some of them ran into the forest as I speak, some dead bodies have been removed, I counted over 20 bodies” an eye witness who identified himself as Yusuf, narrated.
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