Many feared dead as petrol tanker explodes in Ondo

At least 12 people were feared dead in a fatal road accident in Akungba Akoko in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State when a petrol tanker lost control due to brake failure and rammed into some vehicles on Friday evening. 

The tanker was said to have exploded immediately killing people inside the truck and others around it.

An eye witness who explained that the accident which occurred in front of the main entrance of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, could have been averted if the driver was not on high speed when the brake failed.

He said the actual number of the victims could not be ascertained as at press time, but a source put the total number of casualties at 12.

He said the tanker caught fire when it rammed into the truck, thereby killing people inside the truck and other people around it. 

He said many of the victims were passersby and said, “the petrol tanker caused the accident due to brake failure. The tanker driver lost control and the tanker rammed into a stationary truck.

“The fire occasioned by the accident extended to other places and that made the situation worse. We cannot say the total number of casualties recorded now. Everywhere around the university gate is burning now.”

Another source explained that one of the trucks which was loaded with bags of cement, had a brake failure while descending the Okerigbo Hill near the gate of Adekunle Ajasin University. 

He said the accident involved three vehicles including a cement-laden truck, which lost control and collided with the two other trucks conveying gift items and fishes, saying the three vehicles caught fire immediately. 

He, however, said that three persons were feared killed as they were trapped in the fire while several others were injured.

The eyewitness said, “The incident occurred at about 4 pm and the vehicles were in flames for several hours as there were no firefighters to put the fire out.”

The Ikare Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr Kabir Mohammed, who confirmed the incident said the cause of the accident had not been ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

Similarly, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Tee-Leo Ikoro, who confirmed the incident, however, said there was no life lost in the accident.