LAGOS TANKER FIRE: 19-YEAR-OLD TANKER WAS CARRYING TWICE ITS CAPACITY
**The
current ownership of the tanker not yet known.
The
Lagos State government has revealed that the fuel tanker responsible for the
explosion which claimed nine lives and a number of casualties in the Otedola, Berger
area of the State on Thursday, June 28 was
carrying twice its pulling capacity.
The
Mack tanker truck, loaded with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),
lost control of its brake and exploded on Otedola Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan
expressway after spilling its content.
While
addressing the media during a briefing at the Bagauda Kaltho Press
Centre in Alausa on Sunday, July 1, 2018, the state's Commissioner for
Transportation, Ladi Lawanson, said preliminary investigation has
revealed that the accident occurred due to a combination of vehicular defect
and human errors.
He
disclosed that the tanker was originally designed as a 14,959kg (approximately
15 ton) drilling rig with low bed in 1999 before it was converted in Nigeria to
a fuel tank carrier to carry 30 tonnes.
He
said,
"It was manufactured in 1999 by Mack Trucks Inc at its assembly
plant in Winnsboro, United States. This truck was designed as a 14,959kg
(approximately 15 ton) drilling rig with low bed, but it was converted in
Nigeria from a drilling rig to fuel tank carrier to carry 30 tonnes.
"From
this preliminary investigation, the truck should not have been loaded to the
weight of 30 tonnes, which is twice its pulling capacity."
Lawanson
also revealed that the tanker was registered in Nasarawa Local Government, Kano
State with registration number NSR 888 YC, and had changed ownership 13 times
since purchase.
The
government is yet to determine the current
ownership of the tanker but the commissioner promised that the
government is still conducting its investigations and will get to the root of
the matter.
Ambode
expresses pain over accident
After
paying a visit to the scene of the tragic accident as emergency
responders cleaned up the scene late on Thursday, state governor, Akinwunmi
Ambode, took to his Facebook account to express
his sadness over the tragic loss of lives.
He
wrote, "Very sad day. The loss of lives in an accident like today is
very painful. My prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy."
In a
statement signed by the state's Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kehinde
Bamigbetan, the government commiserated
with families of victims who lost their lives and properties in the
fatal tanker explosion. He described the accident as a sad development, saying
that it was most unfortunate and regrettable.
He
urged motorists to continue to adhere to safety standards and the state's
traffic laws so as to prevent a recurrence of such an accident.
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