Tanker explosion kills eight in Edo community

A tragedy occurred on Sunday in the agrarian town of Agbede in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, as no fewer than eight passengers were reportedly burnt to death following the explosion of four tankers.

It was gathered that the accident happened at the ever-busy Channel 5, along the Auchi-Benin Expressway.

Confirming the report on Monday in Benin, the Edo State capital, the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Cyril Mathew, said the accident involved multiple vehicles, two of which were carrying diesel and other petroleum products.

Mathew stated that, according to the information available to him, one of the tankers, while descending Ewu Hill on the Benin-Auchi road, experienced brake failure and, in the process, rammed into other vehicles, igniting a fire.

According to him, “As of today, Monday, after the fire service had put out the fire, we counted seven corpses, including the two that died on Sunday.

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“Four victims with varying degrees of injuries were rushed to the hospital. Out of the four, one of the victims died this morning, bringing the total to eight,” he said.

He disclosed that there was congestion on the road and that the driver of the truck and his motor boy were shouting, “No brake, no brake!” before ramming into two other vehicles caught in the traffic, as well as one stationary vehicle.

He noted that those who died were trapped in the traffic and were not scooping the contents of the tankers.

Mathew, however, commended the officers of the road safety corps as well as the villagers, whom he said assisted in managing the area to prevent further casualties.

However, an eyewitness account stated that the victims were burnt beyond recognition.

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