By Desire Emmanuel
The driver of a fully-loaded tanker as well as a female occupant of the vehicle died on Thursday morning when the tanker fell, spilled its contents and went up in flames.
The accident occurred at the Oto-Ijanikin axis around the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), inward Agbara along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, when the driver of the tanker carrying diesel lost control while attempting to overtake a vehicle on the highway.
It was gathered that as he attempted to do this, the vehicle subsequently fell and went up in flames, trapping and claiming the lives of the driver and the female occupant.
Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) who were monitoring traffic around the area were called to the scene and they in turn called firefighters and other emergency officials. They all made frantic efforts to put out the fire before more damage could be done on the highway.
However, shortly after dousing the inferno, some residents came out and attempted to scoop diesel from the tanker but they were warned and prevented from moving near the accident scene.
According to LASTMA in a statement on Thursday afternoon regarding the accident, following the containment of the fire and clearance by relevant authorities, the burnt tanker was removed by its personnel to prevent further mishaps along the ever-busy highway while the remains of the two casualties were removed by officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and taken to a mortuary in the area.
