Dozens roasted to death in Benue tanker fire

Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

Several people were yesterday roasted to death after a tanker loaded with petroleum products skidded off the road and exploded in Benue State.

They tragedy occurred at Ahumbe village along Aliade/ Makurdi highway in Gwer East Local Government Area of the state at about 5pm.

Although it could not yet be ascertained the exact number of those killed in the incident, some witnesses said the casualty figure may be over 50.

According to a witness, Mr. Austin Nembe, who spoke on telephone with our correspondent from the scene of the accident, the tanker which was conveying fuel from the eastern part of the country and heading towards Makurdi, the capital of the state, lost control while trying to dodged a pot hole and fell off the road.

“As soon as it fell, many villagers from the area and other adjoining villages moved to the scene and started scooping fuel. As they were evacuating the fuel, they were hitting the metal tanker with another iron so as to have enough space to fetch the fuel more freely, suddenly, the tanker exploded and, in a twinkle of an eye, there was fire everywhere.

“Another vehicle, a bus with about 14 passengers ran into the incident and the entire passengers on board were all consumed by the explosion. The tanker exploded at the time that the bus was passing and all the passengers in the bus also got burnt.

“Many people were roasted beyond recognition. The sight is so gory and as I speak to you now, the fire is still on and people are running helter skelter in confusion here.”

The Benue State Police Command, through its public relations officer, Catherine Anene, confirmed the story but could not give the exact causality figure.

However, Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Aliyu Baba, who was at the scene of the accident, said about 10 people died. He said that the exact number of the dead could only be given after the fire had been put off.

Aliyu also noted that over 50 people who sustained various degrees of burns in the inferno were being moved to various hospitals in the town at the time of this report.

“We are yet to ascertain the real number of the dead but the fire is still coming from the nuzzle of the tanker. The tanker fell in the neigbourhood and many shops were also burnt.”