“The explosion came as a surprise to the community since the facility had not been functioning for several months”
Property worth millions of naira including fuel pumps and other facilities, were reported to have been destroyed after a tanker exploded at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Auchi mega station, Edo State.
As gathered, the tanker filled with Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) exploded while waiting to offload its content into the underground tank at the station in Auchi-Uzairue axis of Etsako West Local Government Area.
It was learnt that the tanker exploded on Monday at about 5am within the mega station premises along the Benin-Okene Expressway and spread to a section of the facility before it was put out by the fire service officials in the state.
A resident, Efeoyoste Isah-Okhuwe, that witnessed the incident narrated that the explosion came as a surprise to the community since the facility had not been functioning for several months.
Isah-Okhuwe noted that after efforts by the residents to put out the fire that emanated following the explosion proved abortive, the Fire Service in Auchi Polytechnic for assistance.
He noted that the disaster would have been enormous but the intervention of the youths limited the damage to the station, saying it was about spreading when they arrived.
Another resident, who spoke on anonymity, said that it was believed what happened emanated from the force of building pressure after a long journey of the truck to the location.
According to him, the truck arrived at the NNPC station yesterday night but had to wait the night out before discharging its content, and unfortunately, at about 5a.m on, it was gutted by fire.
“We were praying in our Mosque after Our Lady of Fatima College in Jattu when we heard the first sound of an explosion. after completion of our salaat, another explosion was heard and that’s when we rushed down here to see what happened”, he added.
SOURCE: TheGuild