The Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Saturday visited the site of the tanker explosion that killed an unconfirmed number of persons in Eleme Local Government Area of the state.
The Governor was accompanied by the Commissioner for Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Commissioner for Energy, Maximus Nwafor.
The fire engulfed over 50 vehicles, with some bodies found burnt beyond recognition in cars, along the road, and in a nearby drainage, Channels Television reports.
Governor Fubara, after inspecting the devastating site, directed security agencies to conduct a thorough assessment of the accidents to facilitate the provision of aid to victims’ families.
He said, “Yesterday around 7-8pm, we got information about a very serious inferno that was caused by a tanker conveying PMS.
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama and immediately alerted the security agencies. From what we are seeing this morning, it was not a very pleasant case.
“We recorded, from what I am seeing, a huge number of vehicles being destroyed and souls lost. I have already asked the security agencies to give us a full brief. So that we can come into the situation fully by seeing how much we can support the families of the bereaved and see how we can cushion the effect of the losses.”
He also lamented the deteriorating condition of the Eleme section of the East-West road.
“We all know the situation of this road; it is really really unfortunate. Most of our people when plying this road do so with caution,” he said.
Read the statement shared on the verified X page of the Governor.
“This morning, we visited the site of the area devastated by fire last night along the East-West road at Aleto Eleme near the Indorama Petrochemical Limited plant”.
“We are deeply distraught and pained because our people and other Nigerians who do business on that axis were directly affected either by loss of life or property. It was a disastrous carnage that is just too much to bear”.
“The inferno was truly heart-wrenching, especially knowing that it could have been prevented with proper attention to safety measures to improve commuting on the East-West road axis. The role of the various fire departments and the safety agencies will need to be improved to meet such emergencies”.
“Upon assessing the extent of the damage, we hereby express our profound sympathy and condolence to those who lost loved ones, vehicles and valuable properties. We will continue exploring ways to support the bereaved and to alleviate the impact of their loss”.
“While we look forward to speedy maintenance of the road by the Federal Government, every effort of the Rivers State government will be put into making sure that such a devastating carnage is brought to the minimum”.
“Meanwhile, we urge commuters to be extra careful while plying the axis”.
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