Fuel Tanker Explosion: 5 Burnt To Death In Kwara

On Saturday, five people were purportedly burned to death in Kwara State, Nigeria, as a result of a fire caused by the leak of a fuel tanker.

According to unofficial sources, the incident on the Ilorin-Jebba Road in the Moro local government area of the state resulted in the deaths of the victims.

The incident, according to the sources, occurred when the tanker collapsed and spilled its flammable cargo on the road.

“Some of the product found its way into a gutter which was later ignited from a fire of some residents cooking outside. Two children that went to fetch water were torched while returning but one died in the process and the second is battling for his life at a hospital. A man defecating in the bush was also burnt and about three people that were still scooping the product when the tanker caught fire were burnt to ashes.

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We only discovered their charred bodies the next day. But we have about five deaths while around seven people have been injured so far,” a source said.

When contacted, the spokesman of Kwara Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed the incident, adding that the fire outbreak was handled by the Fire Service of the Jebba paper Mill.

“Several people were injured while some victims later died at the hospital. But I cannot put a figure to the casualties now,” Adekunle stated