Not less than three persons were confirmed dead, and two others were seriously injured in a petrol tanker explosion that occurred in Lokoja, Kogi State.
According to report, two petroleum tankers collided and caught fire at the Felele end of Lokoja.
The commander of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Stephen Dawulung confirmed the accident in a statement made available to Journalists on Tuesday.
He confirmed that three persons were burnt beyond recognition and two others who were rescued from the raging fire were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja for Medical attention.
The corpse of the victims has been deposited at the mortuary of the same hospital.
He attributed the incidence to overspeeding and dangerous overtaking.
“The crash resulted from dangerous driving by the driver who suddenly lost control. The tanker was totally burnt. The Dyna pick-up van that was parked by the roadside and two other vehicles were also affected by the fire.
“Traffic was at a standstill due to the magnitude of the fire until after subsidence of the fire when the operatives of the FRSC conducted traffic control to clear the hold up that had built up, ” he said.
He advised drivers of the articulated vehicles, especially those carrying flammable substances to always be cautious and drive within the regulated speed limit and also maintain all vehicle safety protocols.
Eyewitness account though attributed the accident to a head-on collision between the petrol-laden tanker and another tanker coming from the opposite direction.
He said the incident might have been caused by the ongoing reconstruction work on the Felele section of Lokoja -Abuja road, forcing motorists to ply one way.
Aside from the dead, many people sustained various degrees of burns and are receiving treatment at medical facilities in Lokoja, while shops and some vehicles parked around the scene of the incident were burnt.
