Two men, including a tanker driver, have sustained severe burns after a diesel-laden tanker carrying about 33,000 litres of fuel crashed and burst into flames beneath Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday.
The incident, which occurred at about 4:09 p.m., triggered a major emergency response and disrupted traffic along the busy corridor.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and other emergency responders were mobilised following distress calls about the crash.
The victims sustained second- and third-degree burns and received initial treatment from paramedics at the scene before being evacuated to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre at Toll-Gate. They were subsequently referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for specialised medical care.
Firefighters from the Alausa and Ikeja stations of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene within seven minutes of receiving the alert.
Working alongside personnel of the NNPC Fire Service, the firefighters battled the blaze beneath the bridge to prevent it from spreading to nearby properties and critical infrastructure.
Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the police from the Alausa Division also secured the area and managed traffic during the emergency operation.
The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, later confirmed that the fire had been completely extinguished and traffic restored along the Otedola Bridge corridor following damping-down operations.
Meanwhile, the FRSC has launched an investigation to establish the cause of the crash.
The FRSC Deputy Corps Commander and Head of Operations in Lagos State, Emma Fekoya, said preliminary findings indicated that the tanker lost control, struck a curb and plunged beneath the bridge, triggering the fire on impact.
Fekoya said investigators were examining possible factors, including driver fatigue, mechanical failure and the possibility that another vehicle had cut in front of the tanker.
However, questioning the driver has been delayed because he remains hospitalised.
“And the person to help us is right in the hospital, so until when he’s stabilised, then we can ask those questions,” Fekoya said.
Although eyewitnesses claimed that the inferno destroyed properties worth millions of naira, the Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Abimbola Adeseye, said the full extent of the damage was yet to be verified.
Following the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the emergency responders for their coordinated efforts in managing the situation.
He also urged motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty and articulated vehicles, to comply with road safety regulations, carry out regular vehicle inspections and practise responsible driving to prevent similar incidents.
