Tanker explodes at Onitsha petrol station while awaiting discharge

A petrol tanker fire Sunday evening devastated a petrol station near Boromeo roundabout in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra.

A resident who witnessed the incident said that the petrol-laden tanker exploded and burst into flames while waiting to have the fuel discharged.

The witness said that heavy traffic on Awka Road in the city delayed the arrival of fire fighters who later battled to contain the raging inferno.

DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, Anambra Police Command Spokesman said that police personnel attached to the Inland Town Divisional Headquarters, Onitsha, cordoned off the station to prevent hoodlums from looting.

Ikenga said preliminary investigation revealed that the truck caught fire inside the fuel station while waiting to have its content offloaded.

He said the cause of the explosion, extent of damage and number of casualties have yet to be ascertained