Woman dies, church burnt in Ibadan diesel tanker fire

Many people were in tears yesterday at Eleyele area of Ibadan, Oyo State, as the charred remains of a woman was being pulled out from the wreckage of an auto crash involving 33,000 litre-truck carrying diesel to a filling station on Ologun-Eru Road.
Three vehicles and three buildings, including that of a former Commissioner for Environment in the state, were totally burnt. 
The only victim of the crash, which happened some minutes past 11a.m., was burnt beyond recognition. The rescue team, comprising policemen, men from the Department of State Services, DSS; Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC; Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the state’s fire brigade service, tried without success to establish the woman’s identity.

An eyewitness, Elder Lekan Durosaro, who said  that the accident happened some minutes before noon,  disclosed that  the tanker was ascending the hill when the driver suddenly lost control, “and as the truck was coming down the hill the tank separated from the truck.”
He added that the tank rolled over a wine-coloured Nissan Almera car and caught fire shortly after.
The intensity of the fire reportedly made it difficult for rescuers to assist the woman trapped in the car.
The truck driver, who was said to be a very young man, and the motor boy, fled the scene for fear of being lynched.
Before fire fighters got to the scene, three buildings, including a church, Save and Serve Ministries, were affected.
Also, a Mazda car, marked Lagos LSR 208 EJ, which was parked in the ex-commissioner’s residence, was partly burnt.