Tragedy had struck Nigeria yet, once again. Yesterday afternoon (June 28) a petrol tanker caught on fire in one of the country’s prime cities, Lagos and has reportedly killed at least nine people, BBC reports.
The truck was driving along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, which is one of the city’s main roadways, during rush hour when it lost control due to a malfunction with the brakes, eventually birthing the unfortunate crash.
The exposed petrol contents from the tanker triggered the fire, setting one vehicle ablaze with a vast spread to vehicles near. Over 50 vehicles, including five buses caught on fire. According to the Federal Road Safety Corp, as the tanker approached the bridge, it lost control and tumbled to the side.
Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari expressed sorrow regarding the news and deemed the event as one of the country’s “greatest tragedies.” “Sadly, this seems to be one of the greatest tragedies we have seen in recent times,” Buhari said in a statement.
Some of Nigeria’s most frightening road accidents are due to poorly managed oil tankers. Despite being the sixth largest oil exporter, the country finds it fit to import all of its fuel due to the inoperative refineries. Kehinde Bamigbetan, a Nigerian government spokesman vocalized that importance on ensuring road safety amid oil tank trucks. He said it was time “to find ways of ensuring that tankers are driven by drivers who have more responsibility.” It is common knowledge amid Nigerians to avoid being close to the said trucks while being active on the road with a vehicle. The port in Lagos is the main avenue for oil distribution all over the country, serving nearly 200 million people.