No fewer than ten persons were burnt to death and many critically injured on Thursday afternoon as a petrol tanker exploded in Plateau State.
Casualties of tragic incident that happened at Bauchi junction in Farin Gada, Jos North Council Area include some personnel of the Federal Road Road Safety Corps (FRSC), motorists, pedestrians, and traders.
Scores of tricycles and vehicles were razed by the raging fire.
Some angry youths reportedly attacked the FRSC officials, accusing them of arriving the scene late.
The youths reportedly injured two of the Road Safety personnel and also set their patrol van on fire.
The Plateau State Police Command’s spokesman, Alfred Alabo, in a statement, said: “The Command received information from a good Samaritan that a tanker conveying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) lost control, crashed and burst into flames along Bauchi Road Junction in Jos.
“On receipt of the ugly incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Bartholomew Onyeka, directed the Angwan Rogo Divisional Police Officer and his team of detectives to move to the scene of the accident immediately.
“Upon their arrival it was discovered that 10 yet-to-be-identified persons were burnt beyond recognition. Their lifeless bodies were later deposited at Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, while three (3) Motor vehicles and two (2) tricycles affected by the fire were recovered from the scene.
“Efforts are on to remove obstacles placed on the road to enable the free flow of traffic and to identify the true identity of the burnt bodies. The CP extends his condolence to the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate accident and also advises members of the public not to panic as the situation is under control.”
Also, the spokesman of the FRSC in the state, Peter Longsan, confirmed the attack on their personnel, saying: “When the incident happened, our people went there and started rescuing the victims, they took the first batch of the victims to the hospital, on coming back for continued rescue, they were attacked, one of our vehicles vandalized and burnt down.
“Our ambulance was destroyed. The carcass of our patrol vehicle is there, our men were chased away and two of them were injured.”
