Lagos tanker explosion: Death toll rises to 12

On Thursday, 28 June, a massive cloud of smoke enveloped a Lagos, Nigeria roadway as bright red and orange flames engulfed a line of passenger cars. Emergency workers trudged down an oil-slicked road, carrying body bags.
“Petrol started leaking. A bus ran into it. The fire hadn’t started, then a car ran into the bus, which caused the fuel to ignite,” a witness, Oludare Adodo, told CNN. “Suddenly, I heard a loud ‘blam!’”

The death toll from a petrol tanker fire and explosion on one of the busiest roads in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, saw a havoc break out as Lagos State Government on Monday disclosed that the death toll from the fire at Otedola Bridge end of Lagos-Ibadan expressway has increased to 12.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed increase in death toll during a press briefing in Lagos, also announced opening of a DNA sample collection centre, to assist in identifying the bodies deposited at the mortuary. Idris hinted that the death toll increased due to level of burns suffered by the victims, saying, some of the victims sustained 90 percent degree of burns during the explosions.

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He said: “At the close of emergency operations, we recorded 10 deaths including a minor who were all burn beyond recognition and seven injured. “Of the seven patients received at three of our hospitals, Accident and Emergency center at Toll gate, The Trauma and Burns Centre in Gbagada and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH for prompt treatment, regrettably, we lost one few hours over the weekend because he suffered 90 percent degree of burns, increasing the number to 11. “While still battling with the causalities figure, we were informed at the weekend that two persons, who suffered burns, were rushed to a private hospital in the state. Of these persons, one has died. And this increased the number of victim from the explosion to 12 persons,” the commissioner added.

The State’s Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal said Lagos State Government said it has perfected plans to prosecute the owner and driver of the ill-fated fuel tanker. It was learnt that the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem had at the weekend written to the CP to advise him on the relevant provisions of the law that could guide the ongoing investigation which would lead to possible prosecution. Confirming receipt of the letter to journalists after the Security Council Meeting chaired by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Edgal said investigations into the incident were ongoing, saying that government would not allow vehicles that pose serious danger to residents on the road.

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Nine people were initially said to have died and more than 50 vehicles were burned when the truck carrying 33,000 litres of petrol suffered brake failure and crashed. But the sheer size of the blaze and the fact that it occurred on a gridlocked road at rush hour have spurred fears that the toll could be higher than the estimate.

Lagos state health commissioner Jide Idris told reporters on Monday the “completely burnt” bodies of 10 people, including a minor, were recovered from the scene. Two others later died of severe burns in the hospital.
“The government (will) be conducting DNA forensic studies so that the right bodies can be handed over to the appropriate families for burial,” he said.

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Petrol tanker fires are not uncommon on Nigeria’s roads, which are often in disrepair and where vehicles are frequently old and badly maintained. Blocks are often put behind the wheels of ageing, rusting trucks when they are stationary in traffic.