A petrol tanker crashed in Ankpa, Kogi State on Wednesday, killing over 20 persons.
The incident happened on a bridge on Otukpo Road, in eastern part of Ankpa, witnesses said.
Details were very sketchy as at the time of this report, but 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE learnt from a witness that more than 20 persons may have been burnt to death, with scores injured.
Charred bodies of victims littered the scene of the explosion.
Pictures from the scene of the accident showed that some cars and motorcycles were burnt.
Also, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) who arrived at the scene were seen evacuating the remains of people who were burnt beyond recognition, as well as controlling traffic as the tanker had blocked the road, being the only one leading out of the town from the eastern direction.
All efforts to reach Ankpa Unit Commander of the FRSC for comments were not successful.
But an FRSC marshal who participated in the rescue operations told the 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE that the “a Volkswagen Sharon bus going out of Ankpa ran into the inferno, no one came out of it alive.”
The marshal who does not want his name in print revealed that they have also evacuated five dead bodies from the scene to the General Hospital Ankpa.
He said the accident was caused by brake failure.
The bridge where the accident took place is almost submerged into River Mabulo and it is a centre of activities, where vehicle owners wash their cars.
It is also the spot where most residents who live near the river come to fetch water for domestic uses.
