Two Fatalities and Destruction as Truck Crashes into Gas Tanker in Lagos

In the early hours of Saturday, a serious incident on the Lekki–Epe Expressway in the Sangotedo area claimed the lives of two individuals. This unfortunate event took place due to a collision between a tipper truck and a gas tanker around 2:36 a.m.

The accident not only caused fatalities but also led to significant destruction, with three warehouses and ten shops being engulfed in flames.

Margaret Adeseye, the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed the situation, noting that emergency responders from Lekki Phase II, Oniru, and Epe II fire stations were promptly dispatched following distress calls.

Initial investigations reveal that a 20-tonne tipper truck, traveling at high speed from the Epe direction, crashed into the back of a stationary 30-tonne gas tanker that had not fully exited the highway.

This collision resulted in a massive fire that quickly spread to nearby structures, devastating ten roadside shops, including a gym and a generator house. Fortunately, firefighting teams managed to control the blaze, preventing it from reaching a nearby filling station and a fully loaded 33,000-litre Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) tanker, thereby averting what could have been a catastrophic explosion.

Emergency crews were also able to retrieve three Sienna buses, a Toyota Corolla, and a forklift from the destroyed premises. According to Adeseye, the driver of the tipper truck and his assistant were burned beyond recognition, while the driver of the gas tanker escaped without injury.

At the time of this report, efforts to remove the wreckage from the accident scene were still ongoing.