A tanker explosion on Friday at Omenta Okpe in Delta State’s Okpe Local Government Area has reportedly killed eight people, including a three-year-old kid and her mother.
According to a news report, the tragedy occurred when an ill-fated tanker from Effurun lost control while attempting to overtake another vehicle a few meters from the Uvwie-Okpe Local Government Area boundary bridge.
Witnesses reported that the victims were burned beyond recognition, while several others experienced varying degrees of injury and were hospitalized.
The catastrophe, which occurred around 10 a.m., also destroyed several buildings, automobiles, and heavy-duty trucks.
According to witnesses, the mother of the three-year-old child was stuck in the blazing fire as she attempted to save her child.
Another victim of the inferno, a secondary school child, had just returned from school when he was tragically killed in the fire.
As of the time of filing this report, Prince Enjinyere, Director-General of the Warri, Uvwie, and Environs Development Agency, WUEDA, was on the scene assessing the extent of the damage caused by the explosion and mobilizing support to remove the bucket of the fuel-laden truck from the road to avoid further damage.
