Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
Human and vehicular movements were recently paralysed for few hours along the Ezillo axis of the Enugu/Abakaliki Expressway. The incident started when a tanker carrying diesel had an accident and fell near a bridge in Ezzilo, Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The tanker, with registration number: ENU 554 ZX, according to eyewitnesses, had brake malfunction and fell shortly after crossing the bridge, spilling its content in the process. It was said to be heading towards Enugu before the incident.
When our correspondent visited the scene, the inferno had already been extinguished but the debris of the long vehicle was lying near the road. Some economic trees were burnt even as the bushes around the vicinity were razed.
Substantial quantity of diesel was already spilled into the nearby bushes, destroying banana plants and streetlight poles.
One of the eyewitnesses, Miss Chiamaka Onwe, told the reporter: “I was along the road when it happened. The brakes of the tanker failed and it was on speed. Before one knew what was happening, it fell, and we all ran into the bush.
The manager of a nearby petrol station, Iykon Filling Station, Mr Chidozie Omii, said he contacted the director of the petrol station who quickly alerted fire fighters.
He said the quick response of the fire service team averted more disasters and helped clear the gridlock that was already building up on the road due to the heavy inferno.
Omii said: “It’s quite unfortunate. We saw it happen. It immediately caught fire in the process. The next thing we saw was the driver and the conductor dashing out of the truck.
“Okada riders and other people rushed there immediately the fire exploded to see if there was any help they could offer. Because of that fire, there was no movement of vehicles. But the fire service team arrived and quenched the fire. They called the Federal Fire Service and those ones also came.
“The tanker was completely burnt. The driver actually survived but he sustained some injuries and was rushed to the hospital. The conductor had a minor injury.”
Omii who stated that the tanker was carrying diesel and was on its way to Enugu said that the disaster would have been worse if the content was Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol.
A motorist, Mr Ogochukwu Elem, said he was on his way to Enugu when the incident happened. He said that the fire burned with fury and because of that, many road users sought alternative routes to their various destinations.
Elem said: “While we were all heading to Enugu this morning, we met the incident. The inferno was high and motorists were trapped and that caused a lot of diversion.
Neither the driver of the tanker nor his conductor was seen for comments on the incident as they were said to have been taken to an undisclosed hospital before the arrival of journalists at the scene.