Two persons have been reportedly burnt to death after a tanker suspected to be carrying Liquefied Natural Gas exploded at the Obiri-Ikwerre flyover along the East-West Road on the outskirts of Port Harcourt in Rivers state.
Confirming the incident and the casualty figure was the spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko.
The Police Public Relations Officer said: “Yes I can confirm that two persons died in the tanker fire. Myself and the Commissioner of Police are on the ground as I speak to you.
“The fire has been put out but the area is still dangerous because the gas is still leaking.
“So motorists are advised to take alternative routes to avoid any further casualty. The investigation is ongoing.”
An eyewitness to the incident narrated that the explosion occurred at about 9:25am when the tanker overturned while trying to negotiate the bypass at the flyover and immediately went up in flames crushing a saloon car with two occupants inside.
The eyewitness said: “My office is just close by here. It was a terrible sight. Two persons inside a salon car parked nearby were burnt beyond recognition.
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“The tanker was trying to negotiate through the flyover when it fell and the explosion occurred.”
Another eyewitness who simply gave his name as Lucky said the sound of the explosion spread to residential areas near the flyover and caused panic.
He stated” It was about past 9 am that I was driving towards the University of Port Harcourt that I saw the flames.
“I quickly made a u-turn because I was driving. Many vehicles started making a detour to avoid the scene of the fire, somewhere even videoing the fire with their phones.”
The Obiri-Kwere flyover leads to the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in the Ikwerre local government area of the state.
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