No fewer than eight people were burnt beyond recognition on Sunday on the Ologbo Bridge on the Benin/Sapele Highway in Delta State, south-south Nigeria.
The spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Bisi Kazeem, who confirmed this in a statement in Abuja, stated that seven people were also injured in the accident that occurred on October 1 at around 1 p.m.
Kazeem said 15 different vehicles were involved in the accident: a Toyota Hiace bus, two Ford buses, a Volkswagen Passat, two J5 Peugeot buses, a motorcycle and eight tankers.
“According to the report received from the FRSC rescue team, a total of 15 people, all adult males, were involved.
“Of this number, seven people were injured, while eight victims suffered burns beyond recognition.
“The truck loaded with Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), coming from Warri, Delta State, fell on the road and spilled the PMS product on the road.
“This caused an explosion that destroyed the aforementioned number of vehicles and the 15 male victims,” he said.
Kazeem quoted FRSC Corps Marshal Dauda Biu as calling on fleet operators, especially owners of tankers transporting flammable products, to ensure compliance with minimum safety standards by installing safety valves in their vehicles.
This, he said, is to eradicate all incidents of mishap resulting from lack of safety valves in tankers.
Biu also called on tanker truck owners and operators to comply with all safety standards set by the government for the operation of that category of vehicles on Nigerian roads.
He ordered commanding officers to ensure that tankers that did not comply with safety norms were not allowed to ply on the roads.