The Police and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) have come up with different accounts of the fuel tanker that exploded in Onitsha yesterday.
The tragic event had occurred in the evening and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had gotten reports from witnesses that four persons had perished in the fire. But the Police Command is giving an entirely different story; while they say that there were two casualties (an unidentified woman and her child), the FRSC says no one died.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the death of the woman and her infant, saying that the bodies, which were burnt beyond recognition, had been deposited at the Toronto Hospital, Onitsha.
According to the FRSC, six building s and some shops were burnt. Fire Service Officials had arrived at the scene on time but couldn’t put out the fire due to their water pump being faulty.
The tanker had lost control as a result of brake failure, with the head of the vehicle getting detached while the tank containing diesel had spilled its content on the road. The resulting fire had spread and six houses had also been affected.
