Nigeria Fuel Truck Blast Kills Five, Injures 13

Lagos, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jun, 2021 ) :Five people were killed and 13 injured when a gas-laden tanker truck exploded and caught fire in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, the emergency services said Friday.

The incident which happened late Thursday on a road in Ikeja district, is the latest in series of tanker explosions in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil and gas producer.

"Five people have been confirmed dead. Of this figure, three bodies were recovered from the scene while two were later confirmed dead in the hospital," Femi Oke-Osanyantolu of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) told AFP.

He said 13 people were rescued while 22 vehicles and some buildings were burnt.

Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) who confirmed the death toll, said the explosion was caused by a leakage of gas from the tanker.

"The resulting fire travelled with the wind to the premises of Ogun State Property Investment Company (OPIC) Plaza besides Sheraton Hotels, which houses different commercial outfits," he said.

He said the emergency services quickly mobilised to the scene to extinguish the blaze.