A fuel tanker explosion at Ugwu Onyeama, Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State, on Saturday, January 25, 2025, sadly claimed the lives of at least 15 individuals. A tanker carrying fuel burst while traveling on the crowded motorway at approximately 11:30 AM.
The explosion, which wrecked surrounding cars and created widespread panic, was characterized by witnesses as devastating.
The severity of the fire made it difficult for spectators to reach the scene, which hampered rescue efforts. It is thought that the victims, who were allegedly completely burned, were passengers in the cars that were engulfed in the fire.
The cause of the explosion and the precise number of victims have not yet been confirmed by authorities while investigations continue.
In the interim, Dr. Peter, the governor of Enugu State, Mbah, assured that the victims will receive complete medical care while on the scene of the accident for an on-the-spot examination.
He stated that in order to prevent such incidents in the future, the government has taken measures such as enforcing traffic laws and repairing the damaged section of the federal road.
In addition to expressing sympathy to the victims’ families, Governor Mbah called the accident regrettable and instructed Mr. Franklin Agbakoba, Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission in Enugu, and Mr. Obi Ozor, State Commissioner for Transport, to make sure that all tankers transporting flammable materials in the state have anti-spill locks to prevent spills in the event of an accident.
‘This tanker disaster may have been caused by a break failure, according to early investigation, dropped and its product, premium motor spirit’, ignited after spilling from the tank. Therefore, this is a tragedy for us in which some people have died.
But as I mentioned, the probe is still in its early phases. It’s being investigated by law enforcement, including the police. For us to determine the actual reason of the accident, we want to get to the bottom of this.
We have transferred those who require treatment to the hospitals in the meantime so they can receive complete medical care. This includes the Federal Road Safety Corps, the police, the Chief Medical Director of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology,
Teaching Hospital (ESUTTH), Parklane, Enugu, as well as my Commissioner for Health and Special Adviser on Health. Those who I gave the order to make sure the survivors received the best possible medical care.
As a government, however, we’re also acting swiftly. The chief of the Federal Road Safety Corps and I have just been talking about how they need to implement the regulations that forbid tanker drivers from operating a vehicle without an anti-spill lock.
Premium spirits and combustible goods must be transported in tankers with anti-spill locks to prevent spills when the trucks are stopped. That is crucial.
We as a government will also be investigating how we can implement certain traffic regulations to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.
“Clearly, we will not wait for the federal government to repair the road’s other segment. To ensure that this doesn’t happen again, the government will take action to make sure that whatever has to be done on that portion of the federal road is done right away, Mbah said.
The FRSC Sector Commander for Enugu informed the governor about the preliminary investigation’s findings and revealed that the fuel tanker’s brake failure was the cause of the leak.
In addition, he said that 11 people died at the scene and that the governor had shown leadership by responding quickly to the incident and agreeing to pay for the treatment of the injured road users who were taken to the hospital.
