Due to the failure of the Nigerian State to develop rail networks for the movement of dangerous goods, a woman and her child have been confirmed among the five people who were killed in Ontisha, Anambra State on Wednesday in tanker fire after “a tanker laden with petrol lost control around Toronto Hospital and veered off the service lane.”
The woman and her child were burnt beyond recognition when the tanker fell from the vehicle and went up in flames after spilling its content, the police said in a statement.
Three others were said to have died at different locations in the area.
Forty buildings and scores of shops were also torched in the disaster as over 500 lock-up shops were reportedly gutted by fire on Iweka Street Market leading to Ochanja and Menax markets.
The woman, carrying her baby, was said to have attempted to jump out of her shop, but missed her steps and fell into a gutter raging with fire.
The police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, in the statement said the remains of the woman and her child have been deposited in a nearby morgue.
The statement partly read, “Today (Wednesday) a trailer loaded with petroleum product lost control at Upper Iweka, on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Onitsha and crashed inside a pavement in between the expressway.
“As a result, the fire spilled over through the gutter and affected many shops and houses.
“The Commissioner of Police, John Abang visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and appealed to the residents to remain calm. Fire Service department was equally contacted.
“A yet-to-be identified woman and her baby caught up by the inferno and burnt beyond raecognition were rushed to Toronto Hospital but were certified dead by a medical doctor.”
cpcnews.org 