SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, (THEWILL) – An oil tanker truck caught fire in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos on Thursday, killing nine people and burning out 53 other vehicles along a major highway that connects Lagos to Ibadan.
Multiple Videos across social media showed the deadly incident with fire and thick black smoke as the blaze shut down a long stretch of the road.
Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) spokesman Adeshina Tiamiyu said the accident occurred at around 5.30pm local time.
“Nine people are dead and four injured are in hospital”, said Tiamiyu.
A spokesman for the Federal Road Safety Commission, Bisi Kazeem, said the crash happened around Otedola Bridge on the section of the road heading out of Lagos and blamed brake failure for the accident.
He added that the tanker, five buses, two trucks, a tricycle and 45 cars were burnt out.
President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his sadness over the incident while Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode was at ground zero to assess the accident.
** Reuters contributed to this report.
