From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
No fewer than 23 persons including five students of Kogi state Polytechnic and three children on their way to Nursery class have been Killed in a road crash involving a petrol tanker in Felele area along Lokoja-Abuja highway at the early hours of Wednesday.
The petrol tanker fully loaded with premium motor spirit, pms and belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,NNPC was said to have had brake failure around 8 am and rammed into five cars,two motorbikes and three tricyle popularly known as Keke killing all ocupants.
Among those killed and burnt beyond recognition include five students of the state owned Polytechnic,three nursery school students and passerbys.
Also killed was a business man identified simply as Samson,his wife and three children .
He was said to be selling sewing machines somewhere in Lokoja and wanted to drop his children off at school as he normally does everyday before he drive to his Shop.
Eye witness account told Our Correspondent who was at the accident spot shortly after the accident that the brake of the tanker loaded with PMS had failed and in an attempt to manoeuvre,fell on its side and five vehicles trying to overtake it.
” I was about crossing the road when I noticed the tanker driver signalling to motorists to steer clear,but before you could say Jack Robinson, the tanker was on its side falling on all vehicles beside it”
“Immediately the tanker fell, fire started and incinerated all vehicles along its way” he said.
Our correspondent counted five cars,two trycyle and three motorcycles burnt .
Members of the road safety corps who arrived around 10 am came with an Ambulance from Rescue/rehabilitation team to evacuate the corpses burnt beyond recognition while locals made frantic efforts to identify them rammed into five cars killing no fewer than 23 people including five Kogi students.
However, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp,Idris Fika Ali said 23 persons were killed in the explosion while one child escaped with injuries
Meanwhile, the Kogi state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has expressed Shock and Sorrow over the Fatal Tanker Explosion’
A statement issued immediately after the incident by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Onogwu Mohammed said that
“Governor Bello is very sad to learn of the tragic loss of lives, many vehicles, property and other valuables in the petrol tanker fire while expressing his deepest condolences to the family of those affected by the ugly occurrence.
He said this is sadly the greatest tragedies the state has witnessed in recent times while describing the unfortunate accident as a sad development and shares the feeling of those who lost their loves ones in this incident.
The Governor also urged the students of Kogi State Polytechnic to remain calm and peaceful, stating that he equally shared in their grieving moment over the death of some of their colleagues in the disaster
