CITIZENS COMPASS– Many people were feared dead on Wednesday, when a tanker-laden with Compressed Natural Gas(CNG) exploded near Karu Bridge in Abuja.
The explosion occurred in the evening.
A series of videos were posted online by some eyewitnesses at the scene.
One of the videos captured a background voice shouting for help.
Another background voice said that the CNG tanker had exploded and that trapped motorists were burning.
It was learnt that the truck lost control near the Karu Bridge, situated between Kugbo and Nyanya on the Abuja-Keffi Expressway.
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department confirmed the incident, stating that the explosion occurred at around 7:14 pm on Wednesday.
In a statement signed by FEMD’s Head of Public Affairs, Nkechi Isa, the Head of Forecasting Response and Mitigation, Mark Nyam, explained that the accident occurred when the driver of the CNG truck lost control and collided with other vehicles, leading to the explosion.
The statement read, “A ghastly motor accident has occurred at the Karu bridge between Kugbo and Nyanya in the FCT. The accident, which occurred at about 7.14 this evening, involved a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) truck and other vehicles.
According to the Head of Forecasting Response and Mitigation division of FEMA, Mr Mark Nyam, the accident occurred when the driver of the CNG truck lost control on the bridge there by running into other motorists and leading to an explosion.”
He noted that the search and rescue teams of the FEMD, the Federal Fire Service, the FCT Fire Service, the Nigeria Police Force, and the National Emergency Management Agency, were on the ground to rescue the casualties.
—The PUNCH
