Gridlock in Lagos as petrol tanker overturns

According to eye witnesses, the tanker was heading for Ikorodu from Apapa when the accident occurred around 5.05 am. The resultant traffic gridlock lasted for hours although the timely intervention of fire fighters; Lagos State Transport Management Agency, LASTMA, officials and other law enforcement agents prevented a fire outbreak in the area. The tanker with number plate, XE187KRD, belonging to a major marketer, was said to be heading for Ikorodu when it fell and spilled its content such that street urchins popularly called Area boys took advantage of the situation to scoop fuel. The driver of the tanker whose name could not be ascertained, was said to have been rescued by sympathisers. When Vanguard arrived the scene yesterday, the service lane of the road had been condoned off while many road users made frantic calls to their neighbours asking them to avoid the route. Anthony Zonal Commander of LASTMA, Ayuba Akinpelu, said the gridlock would have been worse if it had occurred on the inner axis of the road. It prevented vehicles on the expressway to link Anthony, so we diverted traffic to the main carriageway. Those from Anthony bridge linking Ikorodu Road to inward Maryland were making use of both lanes on the carriageways of the express road. If the incident had occurred in the evening, we would have found it difficult to control the traffic, he said. Director, Lagos State Fire Services, Razaq Fadipe, said the situation was put under control at about 7.30 am. 6 injured in another auto crash In the same vein, no fewer than six people were injured, yesterday, at Maya along Imota, Agbowa road in an auto crash involving a private bus and a Mazda car.

Vanguard Newspaper