A tanker laden with 33,000 litres of petrol yesterday fell off the Otedola Bridge near the Lagos State Government secretariat, spilling it all on the road.
The accident was caused by brake failure.
The tanker was heading to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, after loading in Apapa. It plunged into a nearby ditch after detaching from the truck.
Operatives of Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos Emergency (LASEMA) removed the tanker from the scene.
They barred vehicular movement until the clean-up of the road.
Lagos State Fire Service Director Rasaq Fadipe said the spillage was diluted and mopped before the tanker was recovered from the ditch.
LASEMA boss Adesina Tiamuyu blamed the driver’s carelessness for the accident.
He said the driver knew the truck had brake issues but still tried to manage it to Ibadan.
“The tanker lost its brakes while descending Otedola Bridge and drove into the slope. When we were informed, we came in here. What we first did was to first recover the head, trans-loaded the fuel and finally recovered the tanker at the back. We have opened up the road. What we want to do is to appeal to motorists to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition because this one had brake failure and from what we gathered, he managed it even to this point so he knew the brake was bad. That is usually what we have been facing in the hands of articulated vehicles’ drivers. We want to appeal to their unions to talk to their members to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition before putting them on the road and also to make sure that their drivers are well trained. Some of these drivers lack basic driving technique.”
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