Panic as residents scoop Diesel from fallen tanker on Lagos Bridge

Residents were thrown into a risky scramble in the early hours of Monday after a diesel-laden tanker overturned on the Liverpool Bridge, outward Apapa, near the Tin Can Island axis of Lagos State, spilling its contents onto the roadway.

Before emergency responders arrived, several residents were seen scooping the highly flammable diesel with jerrycans, buckets and plastic containers, despite the obvious danger of fire or explosion.

Videos of the incident, which quickly circulated on social media, showed men and women rushing towards the fallen tanker to collect the fuel, prompting widespread concern over the possibility of a major inferno in the busy port corridor.

Emergency agencies swiftly moved in to contain the situation. Officials from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the police and other responders were deployed to the scene to secure the area and stop further fuel scooping.

Confirming the incident, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the state’s emergency response mechanism was immediately activated once reports of the spill were received.

“Our attention was drawn to a fallen tanker at the location which was leaking diesel. All emergency responders were promptly activated and deployed to the scene,” he said.

He assured Lagos residents that the situation had been brought under control, while warning motorists and residents to steer clear of the area.

Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu urged members of the public to desist from scooping spilled fuel or lighting naked flames around the bridge, stressing that such actions could trigger a deadly explosion.

He also advised motorists to use alternative routes as containment and recovery operations continued.

Also speaking, the Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, disclosed that water tankers had been strategically positioned around the scene to prevent any secondary incident.

“The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is currently salvaging a 45,000-litre diesel tanker that overturned at Liverpool Bridge, outward Apapa, Tin Can Island,” she said.

According to her, the tanker was secured without escalation, while security personnel were deployed to disperse the crowd and prevent further exposure to danger.

Emergency authorities said surveillance of the area would remain in place until the spilled fuel is completely cleared and the environment fully secured.