Tanker explodes, kills one, razes five vehicles on East-West road

A tanker conveying petroleum products exploded along the Mbiama axis of the East-West road causing a fire that killed one taxi driver and razed five vehicles.

In the incident, which occurred about 5pm yesterday, three of the vehicles were completely razed while two were partially burnt.

The Bayelsa State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Ikechukwu Igwe, was said to have deployed his officials to the area to ensure free-flow of traffic on the road.

Sources said the tanker driver lost control after discharging fuel to one of the filling stations.An eyewitness said: “The tanker fell shortly after coming out of the filling station. It did not discharge all the products in that filling station. The rest of the product spilled on the road.

“We later heard an explosion, which was followed immediately by the fire. It caused panic in the area but the presence of FRSC officials brought the situation under control. They were at the scene till about 11pm to control traffic.”

Igwe, who visited the area, said a taxi driver died in the incident and sympathised with those whose vehicles were burnt. He said after the tanker collapsed, the taxi driver opened the bonnet of his vehicle and attempted to disconnect his battery instead of fleeing the scene.

He added that in the process of trying to remove his vehicle battery, a spark occurred and caused the explosion. “The tanker driver just discharged fuel at Lionman Filling Station but as he was going out, the tanker fell. The deceased taxi driver came out and discovered that there was no road as other drivers had abandoned their vehicles and fled the area,” he explained.

Igwe pointed out that his command removed the tanker that fell across the road, after fire fighters put out the fire.