Five People Reportedly Die, As Residents Scoop Fuel From Fallen Tanker In Kwara

No fewer than five people have reportedly died after a fuel-laden tanker fell in the Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Naija News gathered that along with the five dead people, several others were injured and still battling for their lives at various hospitals in the state.

Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the Kwara Fire Service, Hassan Hakeem Adekunle, said the fire service of the Jebba Paper Mill handled the fire.

He also confirmed that several people were injured while some victims died at the hospital.

“But I cannot put a figure to the casualties now,” he said.

It was learned that petroleum products in the fallen tanker poured out after the incident, and some residents dared to scoop the petroleum products from gutters and other places it leaked into.

An eyewitness told Channels TV that about an hour and a half after the incident, owners of vehicles parked in close proximity moved them away to avert any casualties.

The source narrated that “After the petrol tanker fell, some of the product found its way into the gutter and was ignited as it flowed along a fire from some residents cooking outside.

“Two children that went to fetch water were torched along the way, killing one in the process. The second is still battling for life in the hospital.

“A man who went to defecate in a nearby bush, oblivious of the development, was burnt in the process, and about three people who were still scooping the product when the fire returned through the gutter path were burnt to ashes.

“It was the next day that we discovered their charred bodies. But we have about five deaths while around seven people have been injured so far.”

The source revealed that some of the victims who were rushed to the hospital later died, while others were transferred to UITH in Ilọrin because of the severity of their burns.