A devastating fuel tanker explosion in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, has reportedly resulted in multiple fatalities, sending shockwaves through the community.
The tragic incident occurred on Friday morning in the Iyemanja community, along the expressway in the Okolowo area of the city.
A Facebook user, Orioye Chanter Ijobaibile, captured the harrowing scene in a live video, showing flames engulfing vehicles.
Describing the chaos, he said, “People are trapped inside the burning cars. What’s even more alarming is that fuel-laden trucks are passing dangerously close to the fire.
“They could also ignite at any moment. We are waiting for security operatives to intervene and stop them. People are burning inside the fire.”
At the time of this report, emergency responders had yet to reach the scene, while the blaze continued to spread, endangering more vehicles and properties in the vicinity.
This incident follows a similar tragedy in Niger State just weeks ago, where a fuel tanker explosion on a busy highway claimed several lives.
In January, another catastrophic explosion near Suleja resulted in at least 98 deaths after individuals attempted to siphon fuel from a crashed tanker using a generator, triggering a deadly blast.
Fuel tanker explosions remain a persistent crisis in Nigeria, often linked to poor road infrastructure, reckless driving, and inadequate safety regulations in fuel transportation.
Despite recurring disasters, authorities continue to struggle with implementing effective measures to prevent these deadly accidents.
Last week, the federal government announced that it would ban large fuel tankers ranging from 40,000 to 65,000 litres to mitigate the fuel tanker disaster in the country.