At least two people have been confirmed dead following a devastating gas explosion near the Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday night.
The explosion, which occurred around 8:00 p.m., resulted in massive property destruction, leaving four buildings and 15 vehicles, including tricycles, completely burnt.
According to a police report seen by THE WHISTLER, the fire started when an articulated gas tanker lost control while trying to ascend the link road to the expressway.
The vehicle overturned, spilling its gas content onto the road, which ignited instantly and caused an inferno that rapidly spread to nearby structures and vehicles.
While two bodies have been recovered by emergency responders, officials fear the casualty figure may rise as the rescue operation continues.
A private hospital in the vicinity was also affected, but details regarding possible victims inside remain unclear. Authorities have yet to identify the make and registration number of the ill-fated tanker.
“At about 2010hrs, a distress call was received that there was a fire outbreak as a result of (an) explosion from an articulated vehicle that was carrying gas. The accident was suspected to have occurred when the vehicle was trying to ascend the link road to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by Otedola Bridge. Consequently, the vehicle summersaulted and spilled its entire contents on the road, and fire was ignited immediately. The vehicle registration number and make are still unknown,” the report read.
“However, a total of four buildings, 15 burnt vehicles, including tricycles, an unspecified number of shops, and household properties were lost in the inferno. The number of human life (lives) that perished are (is) still being quantified, as only two bodies were recovered.
“A private hospital was affected; details of the victims there are still sketchy as of now. More details (to) follow as the rescue operation is still in progress,” it added.
