17 killed in Osun tanker fire

SEVENTEEN people have been confirmed dead and many others injured in different road accidents in Osun, Ogun, Delta and Lagos states.

   While nine people lost their lives in a multiple road accident in Osun, four were killed in another crash in Ogun, with two people losing their lives in each accident in Delta and Lagos.

 The Osun crash occurred at Igbelajewa village, Erin Ijesa, after two trucks collided.

The trucks, after the collision, which occurred along Ilesha-Akure Expressway, exploded as nine vehicles were caught up in the inferno.

The accident caused gridlock on the highway and led to diversion of traffic to Ipetu Ijesa-Eti, Oni-Iperindo-Ilesha Road.

Many commuters that got stranded spent several hours, as men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Police Force and Federal Fire Service, cleared the road.

A spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, said the accident occurred around 11am yesterday.

According to Public Relations Officer of the Federal Fire Service in Osun, Adija Basiri, nine lives were lost to the inferno.

“Our men responded to a distress call this morning after a collision between two trucks at Ilesa-Akure Expressway in Erin Ijesha, Osun State, resulting in a fire incident. Nine casualties were recorded, with one receiving treatment in the hospital. The fire affected nine vehicles and two trucks,” she said.

But Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, commiserated with the victims of the tanker explosion.

“As a government, we are committed to ensuring that the lives and properties of citizens are protected and we will not relent in putting measures in place to ensure all-round safety for our citizens. We wish to assure residents of the area that relevant authorities will ensure that the required measures are put in place to bring back normalcy to the site,” the statement said.