Fuel tanker, Toyota Hilus collision kills 7 in Abuja

A Toyota Hilux vehicle, Sunday, hit a petrol tanker fully laden with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, while descending the Koita bridge, on Abuja-Lokoja highway, near Yangoji, on the outskirts of Abuja, killing seven people.

Chat212 investigation revealed that the accident occurred as the Abuja-bound Toyota Hilux van overtook the tanker, but ran into it in an effort to return to the lane.
The tanker was said to have ultimately lost control while descending the Koita bridge and caught fire after it somersaulted and landed on the Hilux.

It was learnt that five persons in the Hilux van, including the driver, the tanker driver and his assistant all died and were taken to Kwali General Hospital mortuary.

Speaking to Chat212 on the incident, the Unit Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, at Yangoji, Austin Chukwudi Okeke, said his team promptly arrived at the scene of the accident to rescue the victims, but regretted that there was no survivor.

He said: “The accident involved two vehicles, an 18-tyre tanker fully loaded with petrol and a Toyota Hilus both coming from Abaji, and at Koita bridge, the Toyota Hilux overtook wrongly and on realising there was no way for him to overtake fully, attempted to return to his lane, but miscalculated and hit the tanker which lost control, somersaulted and exploded immediately, killing everybody in both vehicles.

“We got to the scene almost immediately and called fire service that came to the scene to put out the fire, but unfortunately, the two people in the tanker and the five in the Hilux van were all burnt beyond recognition.

“We were able to contact their families through the phone we saw at the point of the accident. We have taken their remains to Kwali General Hospital’s morgue.”