At least five people have tragically lost their lives and several others have been injured in a fire accident caused by fuel scooping in Kwara State.
The devastating incident in the Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State during the weekend when a tanker carrying petroleum products fell and immediately caught fire while people were attempting to scoop the product.
Prompt action was taken by residents who swiftly moved their parked cars to safety to avoid any further danger.
Regrettably, some victims were unable to survive their injuries and succumbed to the severity of their burns.
After the petrol tanker fell, some of the product found its way into the gutter and was ignited as it flowed along by fire from some residents cooking outside.
An eyewitness told Channels Television saying:
“Two children that went to fetch water were torched along the way, killing one in the process. The second is still battling for life in the hospital.
“A man who went to defecate in a nearby bush oblivious of the development was burnt in the process and about three people who were still scooping the product when the fire returned through the gutter path were burnt to ashes.
“It was the next day that we discovered their charred bodies. But we have about five deaths while around seven people have been injured so far.”
The Kwara Fire Service, along with the fire service of the Jebba Paper Mill, responded promptly to the incident, but despite their efforts, he said several individuals sustained injuries and unfortunately, some did not survive.
Mill said:
“But I cannot put a figure to the casualties now.”
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