Ore town in Odigbo Local Government area of Ondo state has been thrown into confusion and mourning as many lives were lost to a fuel tanker explosion.
The tanker explosion which took place along the popular Showboy road in Ore on Sunday evening has burnt so many people to death and destroyed several properties within the vicinity.
According to accounts from witnesses, there was a sudden spark at the site and it ignited the whole environment and the huge blaze that followed burnt the victims so badly that many died at the scene.
A witness who identified herself as Opeoluwa while interacting with Climax News Hub described how the tanker suddenly lost control and fell on Sunday evening and how residents rush to scoop the petrol that was spilling out of it.
She said “the whole problem started in the evening when the tanker fell after losing control. The petrol it was carrying was spilling out and a lot of people rushed to the place to scoop petrol. I do not know if it is the hardship in the country that blinded them.
“So many people went there with kegs to scoop the petrol. Some parents even went to the place with their children to scoop the petrol. There were also people who went there with money to buy from those who were scooping it.
“I do not know what caused the fire but it was really huge when it started. It went very high into the sky and covered a lot of ground quickly. A lot of people were burnt to death by the fire.
“Children, men and women all died in the inferno. People were burnt beyond recognition. The sight was really terrible. People were scared. It is really bad to witness what happened here.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident and described the victims as fuel scoopers.
Odunlami said that ” They were scooping fuel from a tanker when the fire started . We have commenced investigation into the matter.”
