UPDATED: 2 injured, 6 vehicles burnt as fuel tanker bursts into flames on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

A petrol-laden truck exploded on Wednesday afternoon along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, leaving two people injured and six vehicles completely burnt.

The incident, which occurred at the NASFAT turning point in Ogun State, caused a major traffic gridlock and panic among commuters.

According to eyewitnesses, the tragedy began when the fuel tanker overturned while navigating the busy expressway, spilling its highly flammable contents. The fuel ignited shortly after, resulting in a massive explosion that engulfed nearby vehicles in flames.

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Emergency responders quickly mobilized to the scene to prevent the situation from escalating further. Officials from the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Nigeria Police Force worked swiftly to secure the area, assist the injured, and divert traffic away from the danger zone.

According to an eye witness account, the spilled content from the fallen petrol tanker later caught fire, which resulted in the explosion that injured the two male victims and burned six vehicles.

Confirming the incident, the Public Education Officer of Ogun State Sector Command of FRSC, Florence Okpe, said only six vehicles who could not make “a quick U-turn” were burnt in the incident, but no life was lost.

Meanwhile, the TRACE’s Public Relations Officer, Babatunde Akinbiyi, explained that two male adults sustained burns, while six vehicles, which included four trucks, a commercial bus and one Toyota Camry car were razed by the explosion.

Emphasising that the explosion affected both sides of the expressway, Akinbiyi also explained that the two victims were first attended to by the emergency team of the Ogun State Accident and Emergency Services (OGSAES) before they were later evacuated to the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu.

As at the time of filing this report, both FRSC’s spokesperson Okpe and the TRACE’s PRO Akinbiyi explained that fire fighters were still battling to extinguish the fire at the scene of the explosion.