A catastrophic blaze erupted along the neglected East-West Road in Rivers State, leaving a trail of destruction, incinerating numerous vehicles, and causing an undisclosed number of fatalities.
The incident happened yesterday night in the Eleme area, where a tanker collision triggered a massive explosion, engulfing over 50 vehicles.
Eyewitnesses captured the horror on videos trending on social media, showcasing the inferno’s devastating impact.
Despite desperate attempts to salvage belongings, the slow emergency response sparked outrage among witnesses, who lamented the extensive damage and loss of life.
An eyewitness said: “You can imagine, for hours, no fire service…,”
He said, he wondered how in 21st Century Nigeria an incident will happen so close to Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital and yet help did not come on time.
“I cried so badly because (goods worth) millions were burnt down, and many trucks loaded with cleared goods by Nigerian Customs from the wharf, trucks with other goods, company staff bus with staff going back home from office, and commercial buses from Cross Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State, and other parts were caught in the inferno,” another witness wrote of the tragedy.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, alongside security officials, visited the scene the this morning, vowing support for affected families and acknowledging the urgent need for road repairs in the notoriously hazardous Eleme section.
“From what we are seeing this morning, it was not a very pleasant case,” said the governor who said he was informed about the fire around 8 pm on Friday.
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama (a petrochemical company located along the road) and immediately alerted the security agencies.
“We recorded, from what I am seeing, a huge number of vehicles being destroyed and souls lost. I have already asked the security agencies to give us a full brief so that we can come into the situation fully by seeing how much we can support the families of the bereaved, and how we can cushion the effect of the losses.”