On Saturday, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State mourned the victims of the tragic explosion that happened between Indorama Gate and Aleto Bridge at the Eleme section of the East-West Road in Port Harcourt.
The governor, who visited the scene of the incident today, attributed the tragedy to a lack of caution on the part of the drivers.
According to Fubara, this is because the accident would have been avoided if the drivers had been patient and applied caution on the road.
News About Nigeria reported that the accident happened on Friday night and was caused by a tanker conveying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
Several motorists and commuters were burned beyond recognition, while over 70 vehicles were destroyed.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara got the message of the tragedy at about 7:30 pm on Thursday and went ahead to inform security agencies about it.
The statement partly reads, “We are here to see for ourselves and get first-hand information of the incident of what happened yesterday night. About 7.30 – 8 pm, we got information on the gravity of the incident. I was told that it was caused by a tanker vehicle that was conveying Premium Motor Spirit.
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama, and I immediately alerted the security agencies to make sure they took control of the security situation in the area. And from what we are seeing this morning, it was not a pleasant case. We recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost. I believe very strongly that this situation would have been avoidable if the motorists had behaved properly.”
The governor charged road users to use the road with caution, noting that it is only when the right thing is done that such tragedies can be avoided.
