Tankers carrying petroleum products have caught fire on a part of the east-west route in Eleme, Rivers state, killing an unknown number of persons.
The incident, which left passengers stuck for hours, happened on Friday night.
Some of the victims of the many explosions were claimed to remain stuck in their vehicles while the explosives continued.
The cause of the explosions is unknown at the time of reporting. However, eyewitnesses have reported “dangerous driving and negligence”.
Segun Owolabi, an eyewitness, told The Nation that one tanker crashed with a vehicle before exploding into flames, causing a domino effect.
Owolabi said:
“I saw four dead bodies burnt. Some may have been in the bushes because many ran away. I saw a whole stretch of vehicles burnt down, trailers burnt down.”
“There seems to be a truck carrying substances and it was as if it had collided with another vehicle that may have ignited the fire. Over 20 vehicles burnt down and several people were trapped.
“There may be more bodies. Oh my God, this is a tragedy. A stretch of vehicles burnt.”
Another eyewitness said he heard a loud explosion from a petrochemical complex in the area.
“I heard a very loud sound about 20 minutes ago, and people were shouting,” he said.
“The sound came from the petrochemical company area. So when I came out I saw thick smoke with fire from a distance.”
The fire raged for hours before being extinguished by firemen.
