Two people have been confirmed dead after a petrol tanker exploded in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The accident was reported to have happened at about 6:30am on Thursday, June 9 at Dan Magaji Flyover along Kaduna-Kano Expressway, while the tanker driver was trying to manoeuvre his way to avoid head on collusion with a bus.
The tanker crashed and busted into flames, which claimed the lives of a driver and conductor.
Confirming the incident, the Deputy chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State chapter, Alhaji Maiwada Zaria said the driver and his conductor were yet to be identified but their remains had been deposited at a mortuary.
He added that the petrol tanker with number RNG 065 XA was conveying 45,000 liters of petrol from Lagos to Kano but due to the ongoing road construction on the road, one lane was closed to traffic. The tanker driver was avoiding a bus driver who made a dangerous overtaking.
“In the process of avoiding the bus driver, he was forced to the shoulders of the road and the weight of the petrol forced the tanker to crashed,” Maiwada explained.
“In the process, the driver, his conductor died and one person is critically injured, who are all yet to be identified.”
The FRSC, Fire Service and military personnel have arrived at the location to evacuate the burnt petrol tanker and maintain free traffic flow in the area.
