The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Mrs Zubaida Umar, has activated the agency’s Benin Operations Office to coordinate emergency response efforts following a tanker fire incident in Auchi, Edo State.
The incident occurred at about 8:00pm on Tuesday along the Auchi–Jattu Road when a fuel tanker reportedly lost control and fell, leading to the spillage of its contents into an underground drainage system.
The spillage, according to emergency officials, triggered multiple explosions at different points along the drainage channel, causing panic among residents of the affected area.
Following a distress call from the Edo State Emergency Management Agency, the NEMA Benin Operations Office was immediately activated to lead coordination efforts at the scene.
NEMA officials worked in collaboration with Edo SEMA, the Local Emergency Management Committee, the Nigerian Red Cross Society and military authorities in Auchi to contain the situation and provide emergency support.
Preliminary reports indicated that no fatalities were recorded as of the time of filing this report. However, 25 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries during the incident.
At the Edo State Teaching Hospital, three male victims were admitted, including two with lacerations and one with a third-degree burn.
At Amazing Grace Clinic, Water Board area, 12 victims — 10 males and two females — were treated for injuries ranging from first to third-degree burns, shock and lacerations.
Four male victims with lacerations were treated, stitched and discharged at the Unique Medical Centre, Obe Street.
At City Hospital along Warrake Road, a father and his daughter were admitted with deep cuts, lacerations and minor burns.
Similarly, four male victims were treated at Winners Hospital, Olele Junction, including one with a third-degree burn, one with a head injury and bleeding from the nostrils, and two others with minor bruises.
NEMA said it continues to monitor the situation closely in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to ensure effective coordination, adequate medical care for the injured and a timely response to any emerging needs.
