A petrol tanker crash in Nde community, Ogoja LGA of Cross River State, has killed a police officer, a military personnel, and several others, with many injured.
The incident occurred around noon on Wednesday when the tanker reportedly lost control, veered off a bridge, overturned, and burst into flames. Eyewitnesses said residents and passersby were caught in the inferno, sparking widespread panic.
Among the dead are the Chairman of the Ogoja Truckers Association and a recently promoted Assistant Superintendent of Police attached to the medical centre of Ogoja General Hospital.
Confirming the incident, Cross River Police PRO ASP Sunday Eitokpah said four persons died from the crash itself, while 10 others lost their lives in the fire that followed during a transloading operation.
He explained that the deceased police officer was off duty at the time and worked as a medical officer at the local government general hospital. The soldier was part of a petroleum task force in the area.
Security and traffic officials were deployed to cordon off the scene and restore order. Injured victims were evacuated to the General Hospital in Ogoja for treatment, while additional reinforcements were mobilised to secure the area.
Eitokpah said the remains of the deceased had been recovered and released to their families and to members of the Hausa Muslim community for burial according to Islamic rites.
Authorities say an investigation into the cause of the crash and explosion is ongoing
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