Eight people have been confirmed dead in the Lagos tanker explosion.
Gatekeepers News reports that Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has confirmed eight died in the tanker explosion which occurred around Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday night.
LASEMA added that eight are receiving treatment for various degrees of burns at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), and the General Hospital, Gbagada.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Acting Zonal Coordinator, southwest Zonal Office, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, on Friday, confirmed that thirteen persons received the various degree of burns in the explosion that started at about 10:32 pm and was later put out at about 12:30 am on Friday.
Farinloye said, “The initial search and rescue activities revealed that 13 persons sustained various degrees of burns. Out of this, nine are males while four are females.
“Preliminary assessment on vehicles damaged indicated that about 25 were destroyed as of now” (yesterday morning).
However, the Director-General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu while giving an update on Friday night stated that 13 people were rescued but five died during treatment at the various hospitals, adding that three bodies were earlier recovered at the scene of the incident in the morning.
Oke-Osanyintolu said, “We rescued 13 people, and out of this number that was receiving treatment at LASUTH and General Hospital Gbagada, we lost five. Eight are with us that are receiving adequate treatment. We recovered three bodies in the morning. During the process yesterday those in hospital received various degrees of burns; some 100 per cent, 80 per cent and 70 per cent and others 20 per cent.”
According to him, the victims have improved treatment coordination which was being supervised by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stating that the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, whose state property was directly affected, was also in touch with his Lagos counterpart.
Contrary to the voice in the video uploaded in the former report, he clarified that their response was “swift, prompt, effective and efficient.”
He stated that they were able to manage the situation to prevent the fire from spreading to the Sheraton Hotel, and to a petrol station which are on both sides of the OPIC facility.
Oke-Osanyintolu on the lesson learnt from the incident, said, “we need to put a lot of safety measures in place concerning the LPG that is being conveyed everywhere in a metropolitan and cosmopolitan state like Lagos State.”
The Ogun State Government in a statement it issued through the State’s Property and Investment Corporation has also expressed shock at the fire incident.
The Special Adviser and Managing Director of the Corporation, Abiodun Fari-Arole described the incident as “tragic, a rude shock and unforeseen one, as it was understood from a preliminary report that the fire was caused by a LPG tanker that exploded right in front of the Plaza.”
Fari-Arole expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims.
The MD commended the efforts of the fire servicemen who responded when called upon and applauded the efforts of security officials who prevented hoodlums from taking advantage of the incident.
He stressed that assumptions on the general impact of the incident should be avoided, adding that the investigation into the fire incident is ongoing.