Rivers Tragedy: Police confirms Four Dead In Eleme Inferno

By: Awajis Josiah-Chijindu 

Rivers State Police command has confirmed the death of at least four persons in a fire accident that occurred along the East-West road last night consuming several commercial vehicles.

 

The accident occurred when a truck driver was trying to navigate one of the many bad spots along the Eleme axis of the East-West road, ran into a petrol tanker, spilling its contents on the sloppy road and causing a huge explosion which consumed several vehicles and destroyed millions worth of goods.

CP Olatunji Disu, Commissioner of Police, Rivers State at  Eleme Inferno scene 

 

Speaking with our correspondent on the incident, Police Public Relations officer SP Grace Iringe-Koko said she could only confirm that four persons were so far deposited in the mortuary while the command was working with the State Ministry of environment to evacuate remaining bodies from the scene.

 

An eyewitness, Mr Bariboma who narrowly escaped the incident last night however explained to our correspondent that casualties were more than a dozen as many drivers and some passengers were stuck in their vehicles when the tanker exploded.

 

A resident of the area, Mr Inyang who also witnessed the incident, lamented that the poor state of the Eleme axis of the East-West road which has been neglected for so long has been responsible for many deadly accidents in the past with this one being the worst. He appealed to Government to urgently complete ongoing work on the road to avert more accidents and crisis.

Some burnt cars at Eleme Inferno incident 

 

When our Correspondent visited the scene of the accident , about 4 dead bodies could still be seen at the scene while burnt cars counted were over fifty with some heavy trucks loaded with goods.

Efforts to speak with traditional and youth leaders of the area proofed abortive.