At least three persons were rescued on Sunday after a diesel-laden tanker, a mini commercial bus, and two trailers were involved in a string of crashes that triggered an explosion along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Iyana Isolo area of Lagos State.
Senior Public Affairs Officer of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Fadairo Maria, in a statement, said that the incident occurred around 1:05 pm.
“The emergency call was received at 13:05 hrs through the Isolo and Bolade Fire stations, which immediately deployed personnel and equipment to the scene,” the statement read.
According to the service, the tanker, which was conveying 45,000 litres of diesel from Apapa inward to Oshodi, collided with a commercial minibus.
The impact triggered a chain reaction involving two other trailers, one a flatbed and the other a 40-foot container truck, which resulted in a fire.
“Upon arrival, responders discovered that a diesel-laden tanker had collided with a commercial minibus before being struck by two trailers.
“The impact triggered a fire incident,” the agency disclosed.
Firefighters were able to put out the blaze and carried out mop-up operations to secure the area.
“Three individuals sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident and have been taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
“At present, efforts are ongoing to evacuate the wreckage of the vehicles to restore free flow of traffic in the area,” the statement added.
The agency said preliminary investigations traced the accident to the collision between the tanker and the minibus, which “narrowly escaped without casualties” before the involvement of the trailers.
The Controller General of the service, Margaret Adeseye, urged motorists to exercise greater caution to prevent such unfortunate occurrences.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority attributed Sunday’s tanker explosion to speeding.
In a statement signed by the agency’s spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq, LASTMA noted that its preliminary findings showed that the accident occurred after the driver lost control of the diesel-laden tanker while navigating the Oshodi corridor.
“In an immediate display of coordinated emergency management, LASTMA operatives under the direct supervision of the agency’s operational command swiftly galvanised allied responders,” the statement read.
According to LASTMA, the coordinated effort involved the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Aswani, Ilasa, and Mushin Divisions, as well as personnel of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps.
“These teams collectively subdued the inferno and precluded its escalation into a greater tragedy,” the statement added.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed that more operatives from nearby zones were urgently deployed to support the containment measures.
“He further affirmed, with relief, that no human casualty was recorded, largely owing to LASTMA’s prompt intervention in cordoning off the affected corridor and restricting vehicular movement from Ilasa inward to Oshodi,” the statement noted.
The accident comes months after a similar explosion involving a 30-tonne gas truck near the Otedola Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in March 2025, which destroyed two buildings, including a Redeemed Christian Church of God facility, as well as four vehicles.
Three people lost their lives in the explosion.