Several vehicles were destroyed in Wednesday night’s devastating tanker explosion near Abuja’s Karu Bridge, which also sparked widespread alarm among commuters and locals.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command reportedly verified that the event, which happened at around 7:14 p.m., left 30 vehicles fully burned and resulted in six fatalities.
SP Josephine Adeh, the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, characterized the incident as a catastrophic car crash that occurred before to Nyanya Bridge in an official statement.
The police stated that six people were pulled from the wreckage but were later pronounced dead at the hospital, despite some witnesses saying that the death toll topped ten.
Karu Division received a distress call about the sad scene, SP Adeh stated.
Read Also: Rivers Crisis: PRP Cautions Tinubu on Impeachable Actions, Urges National Assembly to Intervene
“A Dangote trailer, heavily loaded with cement, was approaching Nyanya Bridge from AYA when it lost control and collided with stationary vehicles stuck in traffic,” she said.
A fiery conflagration devoured fourteen vehicles in the incident. After that, there was panic and mayhem as drivers and onlookers frantically sought refuge.
“In order to rescue those trapped, emergency responders raced to the scene, fighting against dense smoke and extreme heat.”
She added, “Six victims were rescued from the wreckage and taken to the hospital, but sadly, the on-duty medical staff confirmed their deaths. Their remains have been placed in the morgue of Karu General Hospital.
“The fire was contained by police officers working with firefighters, other security agencies, and brave people on the scene, and traffic flow has returned to normal.”
