Lagos: The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) says a petrol tanker accident at Ekoro Road, Abule Egba, has claimed one life.
The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency received distress calls through the 767 and 112 toll-free lines at about 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Oke-Osanyintolu stated that, following the distress calls at 7:00 p.m., the agency activated the state’s Emergency Response Plans from its Igando Base along Igando–LASU Road.
Responders arrived on scene at 8:04 p.m., about one hour after the distress calls, and found a tanker loaded with about 15,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit involved in a lone accident.
Preliminary findings indicate the tanker, suffering a mechanical fault, lost control, ploughed into a bystander, and violently crashed into a roadside shop, leaving onlookers shocked and distressed.
The driver was not found at the scene.
“LASEMA has confirmed that the incident killed one adult female bystander,” he said.
He said that the wreckage trapped a female teenager, about 15 years old.
However, he said responders rescued the teenager and handed her over to the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) for treatment before hospital transfer.
Oke-Osanyintolu added that the deceased had recovered and was handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further processing.
“Traffic control measures were implemented to prevent secondary incidents,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
He said the agencies at the scene included the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps.
According to him, the tanker and the affected structure sustained damage.