By Emmanuel Abi Couson
The Nigerian Police has confirmed three persons dead following a tanker explosion in the Obiri-Ikwerre Flyover along the East-West Road in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Tuesday.
The incident which occurred at about 9:30am involved a tanker carrying Liquefied Natural Gas , fell over over, crushed a vehicle and exploded while trying to navigate the roundabout.
Confirming the incident , the Police Public Relations Officer Grace Iringe-Koko, said the victims were burnt beyond recognition when the tanker fell on the vehicle they were commuting in.
Meanwhile a suspected scavenger who tried to steal from the debris was arrested and handed over to police.
Many houses some kilometers from the accident scene had their glasses shattered while others had their foundation shaken .
The driver and the other occupant of the tanker were able to escape before the tanker exploded spilling its content .
The fire has been put out but the area is till dangerous because the gas is still leaking. So motorists are advised to take alternative routes to avoid any further casualty
At press time, men of the Fire Service were trying to put out the inferno while a crowd of onlookers gathered around with heavy security presence also observed.