An unconfirmed number of people have been feared dead following a tanker fire accident that occurred around 1 a.m. on Friday along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the incident involved a 33,000-litre petrol tanker that overturned due to excessive speeding, spilling its contents on the highway and sparking a massive fire.

According to him, the inferno also destroyed a truck, a tow vehicle, and a section of a Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) cable that supplies electricity to Mowe and surrounding communities.

“Though casualty figures cannot be ascertained presently, rescue and emergency services, including TRACE, the Ogun State and Nestlé PLC Fire Service, the FRSC, and the Police, are on the ground to restore normalcy after quenching the fire and carrying out the decantation process,” Akinbiyi told reporters.

He appealed to motorists to exercise patience and adhere to traffic diversions and re-routing measures put in place by TRACE, the Police, Ogun State Fire Service, FRSC, Amotekun, and the NSCDC.

“Any inconveniences as a result of this unfortunate incident are highly regretted,” he added.