One killed in Nigerian tanker explosion
- 11 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
One person was killed and several injured when a fuel tanker exploded in southern Nigeria on Friday (January 11).
The kerosene loaded tanker crashed close to a busy market in Bayelsa state, exploding instantly. The explosion destroyed more than a dozen vehicles and about 34 shops.
The incident took place on a major road linking two cities, Bayelsa and Port-Harcourt. Emergency workers arrived late, angry residents said.
A 60-year old widow who sold local gin in a makeshift stall by the road side lost her life in the explosion.
A road safety official also blamed the driver and confirmed one death.
"He wasn't patient enough, so he tried to dodge a smaller car and it knocked it off the road. So a little patience would have helped, because all he needed is to be on the queue behind other vehicles before he can move..... but he was trying to dodge them and take another route," said Alagoa Oja, head of Road Safety operations in Ahoda community in Rivers state.
This is the second of such incident in Niger Delta in less than a year. In July 2012, about 95 people died after a petrol tanker exploded while trying to avoid a head-on collision with another vehicle.
One person was killed and several injured when a fuel tanker exploded in southern Nigeria on Friday (January 11).
The kerosene loaded tanker crashed close to a busy market in Bayelsa state, exploding instantly. The explosion destroyed more than a dozen vehicles and about 34 shops.
The incident took place on a major road linking two cities, Bayelsa and Port-Harcourt. Emergency workers arrived late, angry residents said.
A 60-year old widow who sold local gin in a makeshift stall by the road side lost her life in the explosion.
A road safety official also blamed the driver and confirmed one death.
"He wasn't patient enough, so he tried to dodge a smaller car and it knocked it off the road. So a little patience would have helped, because all he needed is to be on the queue behind other vehicles before he can move..... but he was trying to dodge them and take another route," said Alagoa Oja, head of Road Safety operations in Ahoda community in Rivers state.
This is the second of such incident in Niger Delta in less than a year. In July 2012, about 95 people died after a petrol tanker exploded while trying to avoid a head-on collision with another vehicle.