Mr. Bright Edafe, the public relations officer for the Delta State Police, confirmed the fatalities and mentioned that among the destroyed trucks were two tankers and five trailers.
"We recorded five fatalities in the Fire incident that took place, eight buses, two tankers, five trailers, two cars, and one motorcycle were completely burned," he stated.
According to reports, after the tanker dropped, locals rushed to it to scoop up the gasoline when suddenly a fire broke out, killing at least five of them.
Governor of Delta State Sheriff Oborevwori expressed sorrow over the fatal tanker incident. He continued by blaming the incident on the inadequate condition of federal roadways.
In a statement released by Festus Ahon, the governor expressed sympathy to the families of those killed in the accident and urged the Federal Government to move quickly to restore the damaged sections of the road.
"We received information that an explosion took place at Koko junction along the Warri-Benin expressway in the early hours of this morning," he stated. I offer my condolences to the families of those who perished in the blaze on behalf of the Delta State government and people.
If the Federal Government had upheld its obligation to maintain their roadways, this tragic and awful occurrence would not have occurred.
"As I grieve for the lost, I utilize this forum to renew my earlier appeal to the Federal Government to spare our citizens' lives from these terrifying situations.
The highly volatile nature of the fuel makes me utilize this means to warn our people about the risky task of scooping it out of a downed tanker.
Mr. Wale Abass, the commissioner of police for Delta State, has expressed sympathy to the families of the five people who perished in the fire explosion that occurred yesterday.
"In the early hours of today, 1/10/2023 0200hrs, the command recorded a tragic incident where a tanker laden with PMS being driven towards Benin along Warri-Benin Road fell down upon getting to Ugbenu Koko Junction," the CP said in a statement by the command's Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe.
Its contents poured into the neighboring swamp, and the mess attracted a few young people who started collecting the petroleum into jerry cans and other containers as a result of the occurrence.
"While they were doing it, there was an explosion, and the fire from the explosion spread throughout the entire region.
"At the time of this outburst, the scene was visited, and the victims' bodies were transported to the mortuary at Oghara General Hospital."
