Fuel tanker falls on Lagos bridge, ignites fire

Tanker loaded with fuel and belonging to Oando Oil Company fell off its truck in the early hours of Saturday over the Ojuelegba Bridge in a densely populated part of Lagos. The mishap triggered a fire that injured several residents, burnt part of a mosque as well as several cars, Saharareporters at the scene reported.

Witnesses said the fuel-loaded tanker fell off its truck as the vehicle was being driven over the bridge that connects both Lagos Island and the city’s mainland via Ikorodu Road. Most of the spilled fuel flowed into a nearby canal that flows down near some buildings. Fire first exploded in a residential flat attached to a mosque at 19 Ajoke Dosunmu Street and known as Beleke Smith Mosque.

Several witnesses told the publication that cooking by a resident in the building apparently ignited the spilled fuel.

The fire raged backward through the canal, causing the tanker to explode and to burn several vehicles parked under the bridge. Some residents in the apartment attached to the mosque were reportedly injured and had been taken to a hospital. Another man reported to have been urinating at the time of the explosion was also seriously injured, witnesses said. He too was taken to a hospital.

A Toyota Solara car parked close to the fence of the affected building was completely burnt along with a merchandise shop and a lotto center called Baba Ijebu.

A firefighter from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said at the scene that they were preparing a place at the Idimu Relief Camp to temporarily accommodate occupants of the affected house after their treatment.