By Ken Afor
President Bola Tinubu offered his heartfelt sympathies to the families impacted by the tragic tanker fire that occurred on the Eleme section of the East-West Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State late Friday night.
The incident, caused by an articulated vehicle transporting petroleum products, claimed multiple lives and resulted in significant property damage where over 100 vehicles were burnt.
In a statement released by the Presidency on Sunday, Tinubu conveyed his condolences to the government and people of Rivers State, expressing his deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the tragedy. The President also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.
“The President directs federal agencies in the state to continue liaising with the state government to provide the much-needed immediate support to all victims of the incident,” the statement reads in part.
The statement commended the bravery and dedication of the first responders who risked their lives to assist those caught in the aftermath of the accident. Their selfless actions played a crucial role in mitigating the impact of the disaster.
Looking ahead, the President expressed confidence that stricter safety regulations for the transportation of petroleum products would be implemented to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
TheNewDiplomat reports that the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara who was at the scene of the incident to access of damage promised to compensate victims of the incident.
The governor said: “We are here to see for ourselves, to get a first-hand report of the incident that happened yesterday (Friday, April 26) about 7:30pm that was caused by a tanker conveying PMS (petrol).
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama (Petrochemical Company Ltd) and I immediately alerted the security agencies, to make sure they step in. From what we are seeing this morning, it is not a pleasant situation.
“From what I am seeing, a huge number of vehicles was destroyed, souls lost. I have asked the security agencies to give us a full brief, so that we can come into the situation fully by seeing how much we can support the families who are bereaved and how we can cushion the loss, which is no fault of theirs.
“We all know the situation of this road. It’s really, really unfortunate. Most of our people, when plying this road, should ply with caution. I believe strongly that this situation would have been avoided if the motorists have behaved properly. It’s late. This is the situation we find ourselves. We will see how much we can control it.”
