BEVERLY HILLS, October 17, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari has joined other Nigerians in expressing sadness over the deaths from the incident.
“I am profoundly touched by the sight of the charred remains of an innocent mother and her child who are victims of this tragedy,” the president was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu.
“I also extend my sympathies to other victims of the explosion whose houses, shops and other property were destroyed in the mishap.”
The president explained that “while I express sadness over this tragedy, I must at the same time call for urgent action on the part of those concerned to stem these frequent fatal disasters on public roads.”
According to him, “safety precautions and routine maintenance are taken for granted by vehicle owners.”
Buhari called “on the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Road Safety Commission and other stakeholders to urgently address the issue of safety standards in the country, with a view to stemming the embarrassing frequency of these tragedies.”
THEWILL recalls that a fuel-laden tanker lost control and fell into drainage at MCC Bus stop near Toronto Hospital, Upper-Iweka, Onitsha and spilled its content around the area and exploded.
The fuel in the drainage flowed down with fire and burnt many houses along Iweka Road before it entered parts of Ochanja Market.
Some parts of Ochanja Market, six houses and many vehicles were razed.