Black Thursday: Nine died, four injured, 54 cars burnt in Lagos inferno

It was a sorry sight at Otedola Bridge in Berger, Lagos State, Thursday as sympathizers from various parts of the state watch charred bodied of victims of a fire incident were being evacuated by combined team of security agencies, LASTMA and Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) officials.

While unconfirmed reports have it that the incident took the lives of about twenty persons, report from the security angle has it that nine people were burnt dead, four injured patients have been taken to the hospital while about 54 vehicles were affected after a tanker laden with petroleum product (PMS) overturn its content while it fell on the Otedola Bridge in Berger.

The incident which occurred around 5pm, Thursday was said to have caused serious traffic snarl in and out of the state.

Emergency workers arrived the scene while the fire rages, were said to have had a tough time accessing the scene as a result of the traffic and crowd.

It was gathered that the tanker, laden with Premium Motor Spirit, had fallen while ascending the bridge outward Lagos.

It was learnt that the tanker spilled its content backwards, prompting most of the occupants of the vehicles behind it to flee to safety.

However, the nine dead persons were caught up in the inferno, as the positions of their bodies showed they were also trying to run away.

According to the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA)  Adesina Tiamiyu, two of the injured persons were in critical condition.

He said: “A tanker exiting Lagos lost control while climbing the Otedola Bridge and spilled its content backwards. This caused a fire outbreak and 54 vehicles were affected.

“Nine bodies were recovered and four injured people. Two of the injured were in critical condition. They have all been moved to the hospital.

“We are removing the burnt vehicles from the road in order to ease traffic congestion. We advice people travelling to Ibadan or outside Lagos to use alternative routes.”

Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Tunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police  (ACP) told our Correspondent that they had rough time controlling the crowd, appealing to residents to stop overcrowding disaster scenes.

Many eyewitnesses disputed the emergency services’ casualty figure. According to them, many more died or were injured.

The motorboy of a truck parked a few metres away identified himself as Stephen Daniel.

Daniel said he watched the accident unfold, claiming he counted more than nine bodies.

He said: “I was beside my truck when the incident occurred. I think it was brake failure. I saw the truck lose control and hit the pillar. The tank broke away from the head of the truck and opened. Fuel started gushing out. The driver of a car behind the truck tried to reverse, but the car caused a spark and the tanker caught fire.”

According to Daniel, the casualty was higher than the official figure.

“The bodies I saw were more than 16. They were mostly children,” he claimed.

Another eyewitness, who gave his name simply as Seyi, said he ran towards the scene of the fire from Alausa, just before the emergency services began evacuating casualties.

He said: “I work near Alausa. The dead were many. They put them in body bags and rushed them away. They were certainly more than 10.”

A woman, who identified herself as Ann, said she was in her shop nearby when the fire broke out.

“We ran away as soon as the truck exploded. There was a bus filled with children not far from the truck. I don’t know if they managed to escape,” she said.

House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa also condoled with the families of the victims.

He described it as “a sad development and I share the feeling of those who lost their loved ones in this incident.

“I pray to God to give the victims’ families the fortitude to bear the loss,” Obasa said in a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS) Musbau Rasak.