An Inspector of Police, Rachael Chukwuemeka, and two other victims of Wednesday’s tanker explosion receiving treatment at a private hospital in Abuja are in stable condition, the hospital has confirmed.
The incident, which occurred at Karu Bridge along the ever-busy Abuja-Keffi Expressway, happened when a tanker reportedly lost control and rammed into vehicles caught in a traffic jam, resulting in an explosion that claimed over 10 lives while many others sustained various degrees of injury.
The Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Engr. Jaji Abdulganiyu, who visited some of the victims receiving medical attention at Cedacrest Hospital, Apo, to empathise with them, expressed sadness over the horrendous incident, in which lives were lost and several vehicles were burnt beyond recognition.
While expressing his deepest condolences to the victims and their families, Engr. Jaji called for the strict enforcement of the ban on the movement of articulated vehicles at unapproved hours, particularly during the early hours of the morning when workers are commuting to work and in the early evening at peak periods when they are returning home.
The Fire Service boss, who was accompanied by his management team, urged all other security agencies to ensure strict enforcement of road safety regulations.
He said: “What is important is enforcement. All the security agencies, especially the Road Safety Corps, the Fire Service, and the Police, among others, should come together to ensure strict adherence to road safety rules and regulations.”
Abdulganiyu, who confirmed that he and his team, during an on-the-spot assessment of the accident scene at Karu, had prevented another disaster from occurring at the same spot, called for caution among road users.
He attributed some of these accidents to the recklessness of tanker drivers, stressing that strict enforcement is needed to curb the excesses of articulated vehicles on the highways.
He said: “If truck drivers have been mandated not to move at a particular time, the security agencies responsible must be there to ensure compliance; otherwise, this kind of calamity will continue to happen.
“The Fire Service cannot be everywhere. If we are in our office, we might not know what will happen in the next hour, and if nobody calls us on time, we might not be able to help. That is why some people say the Fire Service does not respond quickly; they forget that we are not magicians. It is only when we receive information that we can respond.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that fires do not break out at all. Fire prevention is much cheaper than disaster mitigation.”
Jaji, however, assured that the Federal Fire Service remains committed to responding swiftly to emergencies, ensuring that such devastating events do not lead to even worse consequences.
Also speaking with journalists at the hospital, a consultant anaesthetist, Dr Kate Edionhon, confirmed that two of the patients in their facility were stable, while one remained in critical condition.
A sister of one of the victims, Adedoye Temitope, told Tribune Online that her sister, Inspector Rachael Chukwuemeka, was receiving medical attention at the facility.
While praying to God for her sister’s speedy recovery, she commended the management of the hospital for their kindness in receiving her and commencing treatment. She noted that they had visited about three hospitals before Cedacrest Hospital accepted her.
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