Many burnt to death as fuel tanker explodes in Edo

A fuel tanker accident on Thursday in Edo State left many dead and injured, according to reports. The incident occurred around 4 a.m. on the Benin-Lagos road near Oluku Market, when a petrol tanker attempting a U-turn overturned and released its contents. Eyewitnesses reported rushing to the scene to scoop fuel from the road and drainage channels after the tanker fell. Security forces soon arrived to secure the area.

Residents and passers-by continued to scoop fuel from the road and drainage channels even as the truck's owner brought another tanker to evacuate the remaining contents before the explosion. The explosion resulted in several victims suffering severe burns and being transported to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for medical treatment.

Corps officials stated that 10 individuals had been injured and were receiving care at the hospital, while the bodies of those who were burnt beyond recognition were sent to the hospital's mortuary.

One witness recounted his experience, thanking a soldier who alerted him to the potential danger of the situation igniting a fire. Another man described how he escaped by the skin of his teeth, with two individuals directly under the tanker meeting a more tragic end. The damage to nearby stores built on the drainage was also extensive, with investigations yet to determine the exact number of fatalities.

As the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Chief Medical Director of UBTH worked to manage the emergency situation, the extent of the casualties remained unclear.