by Stanley Azuakola

It was another sad scene on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday night, as about twenty-four vehicles were burnt when a fuel tanker upturned on the expressway, began to leak its contents which subsequently caught fire which engulfed everything in its path.

Barely 48 hours before this incident, there had been a similar crash on the same spot near Danco Filling Station along the Expressway.

No death has been recorded in these two accidents, although about 176 people in about 24 vehicles were affected. The vehicles involved include a saloon car, 5 mini-buses, a luxury bus, 11 trailers, four tankers and 2 pickup vans.

Commanding Officer of the FRSC RS 2 (Lagos and Ogun states commands), Assistant Corps Marshal Demola Lawal, confirmed the crashes, saying two persons were injured. He said that the gushing fuel led to a fire which affected the other vehicles.

Men of the fire service, federal road safety officials, and policemen were deployed to the scene although the 24 vehicles continued to burn till Saturday morning.

In the aftermath of the crash, the FRSC advised road users to take alternative routes.

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, visited the scene on Saturday morning and expressed shock at the extent of damage caused by the fire.

The earlier crash on Thursday had caused a gridlock that extended into Friday.

Road users spent between four and five hours between Redemption Camp and Sagamu Interchange on Thursday and Friday. Many road users diverted to Old Lagos-Sagamu Road, which also led to a gridlock.