By BOSE ADELAJA
“Thank God the  incident happened at the night, otherwise it would have been more tragic.” This was one of several comments made by road users at Mile 2, Lagos when a fully-loaded truck with Premium Motor Spirit PMS(petrol) suddenly skidded off the turning and crashed into a motor park, resulting in a fire outbreak that killed three persons and burnt 39 vehicles in the process.

The incident occured on  Saturday February 18. The tanker with registration number XB 270 ACL which was coming from the Oshodi end of the road  was descending a slope side of the bridge to connect the Lagos\Badagry expressway when it unexpectedly fell off the road into the Benin\Ore motor park.

*Some of the burnt vehicles

Its content immediately spilled, flowing in different directions.  The resulting fire outbreak which claimed lives  and destroyed property worth billions of Naira would have recorded a bigger tragedy if it had happened in the day. This is based on the fact that   hundreds of traders, commuters, artisans, tradesmen, travellers  and law enforcement agents are usually present there at that period.

The three unfortunate victims who met their untimely death were intending travellers who slept in the park to catch up with the first trip the following morning.

A survivor Malam Abdul Yakuub  told Vanguard Metro, VM, he was fast asleep when he heard a defeaning sound in the middle of the night and saw what appeared to be “galloping” flames.  “I thought it was a bomb blast and I took refuge under a local shanty and started praying to Allah for survival,” he said.

The incident caused a serious gridlock along the Lagos\Badagry expressway as well as on the Apapa\Oshodi expressway. But the immediate intervention of the  Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, ASTMA; Police; fire fighters; the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA and the National Emergency Management Authority, NEMA, saved the situation.

LASEMA reacts

In his reaction on Sunday,   LASEMA helmsman,  Mr. Femi Osanyintolu, said 36 vehicles have been evacuated,  while the victims have been moved to Isolo General Hospital. Also, the authority is soon to embark on fumigation of the affected area.

“We shall not allow any vehicle to use the place for a motor park any longer because it is vulnerable to a lot of impact. Our duty is to prepare for emergency at all times; by so doing, we want to ensure the area is returned to a green area. There will be sensitisation to all. We want to talk to articulated vehicle owners at Apapa to adopt safety precautions,” he said.

NEMA’s reaction

Speaking with VM on Sunday, NEMA’s South\West Coordinator, Mr. Iyiola Akande, described the situation as unfortunate which should not have resulted to a disaster if the tanker had fallen on a green area. “It is a disaster because three lives were lost. It is a matter of encroachment upon the set back of a federal highway,” he lamented.

Government and people that designed the road had observed set back but the transport owners encroached, the place is supposed to be a beautification centre because of the nature of the bridge and the sloppy nature of the road. Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Federal Ministry of Works should remove all unapproved structures. Moreso, an illegal park should not have been in existence, I call for the disbandment of the motor park,” he said.

Badagry Tanker Drivers Association reacts

In his own reaction, Chairman Petroleum dealers Association, Badagry chapter Otunba Adisa Osiefa called on government to fix the roads, create adjourning roads and provide a functional rail system for such services, Also, he said there should be a law refraining trucks and heavy duty vehicles from travelling by day.

“We cannot be losing innocent lives all the time, the content was 33000 litres and the truck was travelling on a bad road,” said Osiefa.

He called on  the National Assembly to legislate against tanker drivers using the road by day.