At least one person has been confirmed dead, and several others sustained injuries following a fuel tanker explosion in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, on Friday morning.
Drivetvnews visited the Iyemanja community along the Okolowo expressway, where fire service officials recovered a lifeless body after putting out the fire.
According to eyewitness accounts, the accident happened when a truck carrying chemical substances from the South-West collided with a petrol tanker heading to the North, causing an immediate explosion.
While some residents claimed that two people died in the incident, the fire service maintained that only one casualty had been confirmed.
A driver who narrowly escaped the disaster told Drivetvnews that excessive speeding by both drivers led to the crash.
“I was driving behind them when the collision occurred, but I quickly reversed to avoid the fire. They were both speeding and trying to overtake each other. I don’t know why they were in such a hurry,” he said.
“As soon as they crashed, I saw several people jumping off the truck carrying chemicals while it was still in motion. Many of them were seriously injured. I believe the driver and another person did not survive because the fire started immediately. The petrol tanker driver was also injured but managed to escape.”
A fire service official at the scene confirmed to Drivetvnews that only one body had been recovered.
“We found one casualty inside the chemical truck. The body will be handed over to the appropriate authorities,” he stated.
He added that investigations were still ongoing to determine the exact cause of the accident.
The explosion was captured in a Facebook video posted by Orioye Chanter Ijobaibile and monitored by Drivetvnews on Friday morning.
The footage showed thick black smoke rising into the sky as flames engulfed multiple vehicles.
“People are trapped inside burning cars. The worst part is that other fuel tankers are passing dangerously close to the fire. If nothing is done, they could also explode. We are waiting for security personnel to arrive and prevent further damage. People are burning in the fire,” Orioye narrated in the video.
As of the time of this report, emergency responders were still working to clear the wreckage and prevent more casualties.
This incident in Kwara comes just weeks after a similar explosion in Niger State, where at least 18 people died when a fuel tanker exploded in Bida, burning multiple vehicles and passengers.
In another tragic event in October 2023, at least six people were killed in Jigawa State following a tanker explosion that left many others with severe burns.
Fuel tanker explosions remain a recurring tragedy in Nigeria, often caused by poor road conditions, reckless driving, and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
Despite the frequent disasters, authorities have yet to implement strict measures to prevent further occurrences.
