Lagos State emergency officials on Thursday recovered a tanker carrying 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit after it overturned and spilled fuel at Isimi Lagos, inward Itokin, Epe, with no casualties reported.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said its responders were alerted at 10:19 a.m. and dispatched to the scene, where the tanker, with registration number T-18212LA, had overturned onto a Ford pickup van loaded with animal feed.
Preliminary findings showed that the tanker overturned after one of its rear tyres slipped into a pit while the driver was attempting to manoeuvre around the stationary pickup van, which had developed a mechanical fault.
The accident caused PMS to spill onto the roadway, prompting LASEMA to activate a multi-agency emergency response involving the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps and Nigeria Police Force.
Firefighters covered the tanker and surrounding area with chemical foam to reduce the risk of ignition, while authorities temporarily closed the affected section of the road and diverted traffic.
The remaining PMS was transferred from the damaged tanker into an empty tanker without incident, after which both vehicles were towed from the roadway to Ketu Police Station.
LASEMA said the road was subsequently reopened to traffic.
The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, commended the emergency responders for their coordinated response, saying it helped prevent a potentially major disaster.
He urged motorists, particularly operators of tankers and other heavy-duty vehicles carrying combustible products, to maintain their vehicles properly and comply with traffic regulations.
LASEMA also urged residents to report emergencies and road incidents through the toll-free 767 and 112 emergency lines.
LASEMA Recovers Fallen 45,000-Litre PMS Tanker In Epe, Averts Potential Disaster
