Breaking: Church, buildings, cars razed in Lagos tanker explosion

An explosion rocked Otedola Bridge in Lagos yesterday evening, sparking a massive fire.

The blast, which occurred at 8:08 p.m., involved a tanker loaded with petroleum products.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, disclosed that the fire spread to a church, an adjoining bungalow, and four vehicles.

Eyewitnesses reported that the tanker, a 30-tonne DAF gas truck with an unknown registration number, was navigating the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when the explosion occurred. Panic-stricken motorists scrambled to escape the scene, with some making hasty U-turns while others abandoned their vehicles in fear of being trapped in the inferno.

As of the time of writing this report, emergency responders were still battling to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to other buildings. Among them were officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the State Fire Service, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Explaining the situation, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is currently attending to a fire resulting from a tanker accident outward Otedola Bridge, Omole, Lagos, at about 8 p.m. While firefighting operations are ongoing, there has been no record of casualties, with further updates to follow.”

On his part, LASEMA’s Head of Public Affairs, Boss Okunbo, simply stated, “It is some sort of explosion. Awaiting preliminary report. LASEMA’s Tiger Response Team is at the location.”