Several fatalities are feared following a tanker explosion near Karu Bridge in Abuja on Wednesday evening.
A video obtained by our correspondent captured a voice urgently calling for help, reporting that the tanker had exploded, trapping and burning motorists.
Witnesses said the truck lost control near the Karu Bridge, located between Kugbo and Nyanya along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway.
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD) confirmed the incident, revealing that the explosion occurred around 7:14 p.m. on Wednesday.
In a statement signed by FEMD’s Head of Public Affairs, Nkechi Isa, Mark Nyam, the Head of Forecasting Response and Mitigation, explained that the accident occurred when the driver of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) truck lost control and collided with other vehicles, triggering the explosion.
The statement read, “A tragic motor accident occurred at Karu Bridge, between Kugbo and Nyanya in the FCT. The accident, which took place at approximately 7:14 p.m., involved a CNG truck and several other vehicles.
“According to Mr. Mark Nyam, Head of the Forecasting Response and Mitigation division of FEMA, the driver of the CNG truck lost control on the bridge, crashing into other vehicles, which led to the explosion.”
Nyam further stated that search and rescue teams from FEMD, the Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force, and the National Emergency Management Agency were on-site, working to rescue the victims.
