PH Escapes Petrol Tanker Fire Disaster

Residents of the Diobu axis of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital are counting themselves lucky for escaping what would have been a tragedy in the metropolis , last Friday, following the falling over of a petroleum tanker laden with 33,000 litres of product at Education Bus-stop, Mile One Diobu, Ikwerre Road.
The Tide gathered that the truck had lost its balance in an attempt to make a U-turn on the road, thereby falling over on its side onto both sides of the dual carriage road and spilling its content on the road.
This led to a commotion on the road as commuters and residents scampered to scoop the spilled product from the ground, while motorists hurried away as traders in the area were also seen gathering their wares to vacate the area to avoid explosion and fire incident.
An eye witnesses who simply gave his name as Nnamdi noted that it took the urgent intervention of operatives of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) State Fire Service and the Mile One police station to bring the situation under control.
According to Nnamdi, “the truck driver was trying to make a U-turn before the driver lost control of the gear”.
A visit to the site of the incident showed groups of people discussing the incident which occurred between 4:30 and 5:00pm,and thanking God for the quick intervention of the emergency safety operatives who helped to avert what would have been a disaster in the state.

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa