Five people were roasted to dead, after a petrol-laden tanker gut fire at Ugbenu, Koko Junction, Ethiope west local government area of Delta State.
Trouble started on Sunday October 1st 2023, while Nigerians were celebrating the 63rd Independence Day, the tragic incident occured as a tanker laden with PMS facing Benin, Edo State, along the Warri- Benin expressway, fell at the Ugbenu Koko Junction.
It was gathered that the PMS, it was conveying (content), spilled into a nearby swamp.
Sources disclosed that some youths who came to scoop the spillage, fuel into Jerry Cans and other containers, were burnt to death.
It was reliably learnt that an explosion immediately occured, resulting into a wide fire, leasing to the death of five persons.
It was also gathered that several properties including the fallen tanker, eight buses, two other tankers, five trailers, two motorcycles, otherwise known as Okada, a Siena space bus, and one ‘C’ Class Mercedes Benz car were among properties burnt.
It was learnt that the bodies of the victims have been evacuated to the Oghara General Hospital’s mortuary.
Although, the immediate remote cause of the inferno, could not be ascertained, it was learnt that it was caused due to the bad nature of the road.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Oghara Police Division, in collaboration with personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), were on ground to ensure the free flow of traffic.
Also, the State Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Ejiro Terry, in company of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), equally were at the scene to provide help and support for the victims.
