A massive, fiery carnage on the East-West Road in Rivers State has destroyed more than dozens of vehicles, scourged goods worth estimated billions, and claimed an unconfirmed number of lives.
The devastating incident happened on Friday night along the Eleme axis of the road, which has long been neglected, increasing motorists’ risks.
Reports suggest that the tragedy was triggered when a tanker, navigating the dilapidated road, was hit by another heavy-duty vehicle, igniting flames and an explosion.
The ensuing inferno engulfed more than 50 vehicles on the road at the time, with some occupants trapped and unable to escape the fire, which spread rapidly.
Videos and witness accounts shared on social media paint a harrowing picture.
One of the videos posted on Facebook by Egwunyenga Victor Ifechukwu showed up to 11 vehicles, including four trucks, on fire.
The video had a narrative by a man who said the fire almost engulfed a car he was in with his friend.
“This is colossal damage,” he said over the video, showing vehicles engulfed in flames.
Distraught voices could be heard in the background, decrying the massive destruction they were witnessing. Some were shocked to see such a scale of destruction.
The witness and some others were outraged at the pace of emergency response.
“You can imagine. For hours, no fire service…,” he said, wondering how in 21st Century Nigeria and for an incident so close to Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital, help did not come promptly.
Amid the chaos and lamentation, some people made last-ditch efforts to save their vehicles. At one point a driver managed to drive out from in between two burning vehicles with some screaming in fear that he won’t make it.
“I cried so badly because (goods worth) millions were burnt down, and many trucks loaded with cleared goods by Nigerian Customs from the wharf, trucks with other goods, company staff bus with staff going back home from office, and commercial buses from Cross Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State, and other parts were caught in the inferno,” another witness wrote of the tragedy.
The full extent of the damage caused by the inferno and the casualty figures remains unclear. It is expected that emergency officials will provide more details subsequently.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara visited the site of the tanker explosion that killed an unconfirmed number of persons in Eleme Local Government Area.
The Governor was accompanied by the Commissioner for Police, Olatunji Disu,and the Commissioner for Energy, Maximus Nwafor.
The inferno engulfed over 50 vehicles, with some bodies found burnt beyond recognition in cars, along the road, and in a nearby drainage.
Governor Fubara, after inspecting the devastating site, directed security agencies to conduct a thorough assessment of the accidents to facilitate the provision of aid to victims’ families.
He said, “Yesterday around 7-8pm, we go information about a very serious inferno that was caused by a tanker conveying PMS.
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama and immediately alerted the security agencies. From what we are seeing this morning, it was not a very pleasant case.
“We recorded, from what I am seeing, a huge number of vehicles being destroyed and souls lost. I have already asked the security agencies to give us a full brief. So that we can come into the situation fully by seeing how much we can support the families of the bereaved and see how we can cushion the effect of the losses.”
He also lamented the deteriorating condition of the Eleme section of the East-West road.
“We all know the situation of this road; it is unfortunate. Most of our people when plying this road do so with caution,” he said.
