The National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed that the fire disaster that engulfed the Eleme area of Rivers State on Friday 26 April night was caused by a reckless truck driver.
It was gathered that the fire that occurred between the Indorama Petro-Chemical Company Gate and the Aleto Bridge on the ever-busy Eleme section of the East-West Road burnt motorists and commuters beyond recognition and destroyed over 120 vehicles on Friday.
According to a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Sunday April 28, NEMA noted that the fire was caused by a collision between a truck and a tanker vehicle.
The statement reads in read, “The incident occurred as a result of reckless driving by a truck vehicle driver, which led to a collision with a tanker vehicle loaded with Premium Motor Spirit.
“The collision was said to have caused the PMS to spill on the road, which led to the fire outbreak.”
The Agency added that the total number of casualties could not be ascertained because many of the victims scampered for their lives, but its team counted four corpses, including that of a pregnant woman.
“NEMA South South team, in collaboration with the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency, Ministry of Transport, Police, NSCDC, FRSC, Fire Service, etc., carried out a joint assessment of the PMS tanker fire, which occurred at about 8p.m. on April 26, 2024.
“The FRSC bagged and evacuated the four corpses to a military hospital.
“The inferno was rapidly put out by Indorama fire service men, who also deployed one of their earth-moving equipment to assist in removing other burnt vehicles, obstructing the free flow of traffic on the highway.” The statement added.
