BY PETER DURU
MAKURDI – Four persons were burnt to death while about 40 others were in critical condition at Okpoga, Okpokwu local government of Benue State while trying to scoop petrol from a crashed tanker in the area.
The tanker which was fully loaded with petrol had skidded off the road and emptied its content few metres from Ugwu Okpoga.
An eyewitness told Vanguard that the ill-fated tanker was conveying petroleum product from the eastern part of the country to a service station outside Makurdi. It was learnt while trying to avoid a pothole at Okpoga, the driver lost control of the vehicle.
He explained that some youths in the community who discovered that the tanker was carrying petrol had rushed to scoop the content when a spark caused the fire that caused the havoc on them.
He said: “During that confusion that there was a spark and a combustion that claimed three lives on the spot with many others sustaining various degrees of burns”.
Vanguard gathered that three of the victims died at the accident spot while the fourth victim died at the General hospital Okpoga, where the victims were rushed to for treatment.
Our source further explained that it took the intervention of the Council Chairman, Mr. Robert Idoko, his Deputy, Sonny Ebute and the State House of Assembly member representing Okpokwu, Mr. Olofu Oguche who mobilized youths to avert what could have amounted to a major disaster in the area.
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Four burnt to death while scooping fuel from petrol tanker