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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Five officers of the Delta State Fire Service have been involved in a lone crash which occurred along the Issele-Uku axis of the Benin-Asaba-Onitsha highway in Delta State.
The accident resulted from a burst tyre of the Hilux which the firefighters travelled in.
They were said to be coming from Benin in Edo State after kidnappers freed three of them of the accident victims who were kidnapped on Sunday.
Two other victims of the crash had gone to Benin to pick up their kidnapped colleagues and were returning to Asaba when the crash occurred at Issele-Uku.
The five victims were rushed to the Specialist Hospital in Asaba where they are said to be responding to treatment.
State Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ibrahim Abubakar who confirmed the accident on Wednesday, said the burst tyre result in the vehicle summersault several times.
Our correspondent learnt that the three firemen were on their way to Lagos for the purchase of a welfare bus for staff when they ran into their hostage-takers.
N5m was reportedly paid to have them breathe the sweet air of freedom before the unfortunate accident.
Meanwhile, firefighters who went to put off fire at a filling station in Asaba on Tuesday narrowly escaped being lynched by an angry mob.
Both the state and federal firemen were handy at said filling station along Summit road.
In the midst of panic and confusion that trailed the incident, angry sympathisers who were assisting to put off the fire attacked the firefighters apparently for arriving late to the scene.
The quick response by staff of the station and passersby saved the fire from spreading even as three dispensing pumps and a vehicle were completely razed while some of the fuel attendants lost their telephone handsets.
A customer buying fuel had forcefully pulled off his car which subsequently dragged the nozzle of the pump resulting in the fire.
Contacted on Wednesday, the embattled Director of the state fire service, Mr, Eugene Ezewele simply said “we thank God for everything.”
