The Accident Scene 

At least one person has been confirmed dead, while several others sustained injuries following a fuel tanker explosion in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Friday morning.

SaharaReporters visited the scene at Iyemanja community, along the expressway in Okolowo, where operatives of the fire service recovered a lifeless body after successfully extinguishing the fire.

According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred when a truck transporting a chemical substance from the South-West region to a northern state collided with a petrol tanker, leading to an immediate fire outbreak.

While some residents claimed two people lost their lives in the explosion, the fire service insisted that one body had been found.

A driver who narrowly escaped the inferno told SaharaReporters that reckless speeding by both drivers led to the crash.

“My car was right behind the two vehicles that collided, but I quickly reversed when I saw what happened to avoid being caught in the fire. The accident was caused by over-speeding. They were both trying to overtake each other, but I don’t even know why they were rushing,” he said.

“Immediately after the collision, I saw many people jumping off the truck carrying the chemicals while it was still in motion. Some of them were severely injured. But I think the driver and one other person did not make it because the fire started immediately. The petrol tanker driver also got injured but managed to escape.”

Speaking to SaharaReporters, a fire service officer at the scene confirmed that only one casualty had been officially recorded so far.

“We have one casualty. The body was found inside the truck carrying chemicals. It will be handed over to the appropriate authorities,” he said.

He added that investigations were still ongoing to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The moment of the explosion was captured in a Facebook video by a user, Orioye Chanter Ijobaibile, and monitored by SaharaReporters on Friday morning.

The footage showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky, with flames engulfing vehicles at the accident scene.

“People are inside the cars, and it is burning. What is even worrisome is that many other trucks that always carry fuel are passing near the fire. That is risky. They may also catch fire. We are just waiting for security operatives to show up so that they can stop them. People are getting burned inside the fire,” Orioye narrated in the video.

As of the time of filing this report, emergency responders were still working to clear the wreckage and prevent further casualties.

The latest disaster in Kwara comes barely weeks after a similar explosion in Niger State, where at least 18 people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded in the Bida area, burning several vehicles and passengers.

In another tragic incident in October 2023, at least six people were killed in Jigawa State when a tanker exploded, leaving many others with severe burns.

Fuel tanker explosions have become a recurring nightmare in Nigeria, often attributed to poor road conditions, reckless driving, and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

Despite these repeated disasters, authorities have failed to implement stringent measures to prevent further occurrences.

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