A petrol tanker carrying 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit exploded in Ibadan on Thursday evening, triggering panic and fire damage in the capital of Oyo State.

The incident occurred around 6:27 p.m. at Celica junction along the new Ife Expressway. Eyewitnesses said the tanker lost control due to brake failure, collided with multiple vehicles, and overturned before bursting into flames.

?It hit a Prado Jeep and another car before it fell and exploded,? a resident told reporters. ?The fire affected the two vehicles, but thankfully no one was killed.?

The Oyo State Fire Service, supported by the Federal Fire Service, swiftly responded to the emergency. Firefighters deployed chemical foam compounds to contain the flames, preventing the fire from spreading to nearby structures, including a petrol station owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

?The firemen swiftly swung into action by applying chemical foam compound and restricted the fire from spreading to the nearby NNPC petrol station and surrounding properties,? said Maroof Akinwande, Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service.

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He confirmed that no casualties were recorded in the explosion. However, the affected vehicles a Prado Jeep and another car suffered extensive damage.

?The trailer lost control due to a brake system failure. It hit a Jeep and a car before it fell and caught fire. A Jeep was also pushed into a gutter by the impact,? Akinwande added.

The explosion triggered traffic disruption along the expressway as emergency services cordoned off the area. Commuters and residents gathered in large numbers, watching as fire officials battled the flames for hours.

No official figures were released on the cost of damage, but visuals from the scene showed scorched metal remains of the tanker and burnt-out vehicles. (The Guardian)

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