Delta condoles community over tanker explosion

By Tayo ABIOLA

The Governor of Delta State, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has commiserated with the Ometan community in the Okpe Local Government Area of the state on the death of seven indigenes of the community from the Friday morning tanker fire accident.

Speaking at the accident scene, Oborevwori, flanked by Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor and former Chairman of Okpe Local Government Council, Hon. Isaiah Esiovwa, empathised with the community on the unfortunate incident.

He said, “I was just coming from the creeks where I went to inspect projects and there was no network so immediately, I arrived at the Navy jetty, I received a message from the Head of Personnel Management of Okpe Local Government Council informing me of the sad incident”.

“On getting here I saw dead bodies and those who witnessed the unfortunate incident said the tanker had an accident and exploded which led to the fire.

“It is a very sad situation and I commiserate with the people of the Ometan community and families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident.”

Eyewitnesses said that the fire accident occurred around 10 am on Friday when the tanker laden with fuel fell on the road, after the tanker head detached while on motion in the Ometan community along the Warri-Sapele Road.

They noted that the victims were burnt beyond recognition just as several others sustained varied degrees of injuries and were hospitalized.

The incident also left some buildings including residential, makeshift caravans, vehicles and heavy-duty trucks destroyed.

According to witnesses, the mother of a three-year-old child was entrapped in the raging fire as she was making spirited efforts to rescue her child.

It was further gathered that another victim of the inferno, a secondary school boy, had just returned from school only to meet his untimely death in the fire disaster.

Residential buildings, makeshift caravans and vehicles as well as heavy duty trucks were lost to the fuel tanker explosion.

Eyewitnesses further disclosed that the tanker, which was headed from Effurun, lost control while trying to overtake another truck a few meters away from the boundary bridge between Uvwie and Okpe local government areas.

They said the victims gutted by the inferno were burnt beyond recognition, leaving several others injured and hospitalised.