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Over 20 villagers in Umuokpu Abajah community in Nwangele local government area of Imo state had a close call with death when a vehicle carrying petroleum products burst into flames.
Sources indicate that the incident occurred at around 2 am on Sunday when a vehicle transporting suspected illegal fuel caught fire.
The inferno caused property damage worth N50 million, but fortunately, no lives were lost, although villagers were observed wailing and weeping as they witnessed their buildings, shops, and merchandise go up in flames.
A witness said: ‘The incident happened on Sunday at about 2 am at Umuokpu Abajah in Nwangele LGA of Imo State when yet-to-be-identified owners of a Toyota Hiace went up in flames.’
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A security man on duty at the Community Primary School, Umuokpu, who did not want his name mentioned, said: ‘I heard a big bang shortly after a Toyota Hiace suddenly came to a stop due to a noise from the silencer and I quickly went to the scene but unfortunately, the vehicle ignited and the operators ran away before I could reach the location.’
The security man reported that the vehicle was transporting fuel and that a loud bang signaled that the silencer had caught fire. Despite his efforts to warn the occupants of the affected buildings and assist them in escaping the fire, all the buildings on the road, including stores, were engulfed in flames.
He added: ‘We tried to put the fire off but we could not as it raged uncontrollably. It destroyed all their houses. We saw a Hiace Toyota burnt beyond recognition at the scene of the incident. Stores were also destroyed.’
‘An indigene of the village, Clifford Ojiakor, said that the incident happened close to his father’s house. My father’s building is just close to the scene of the incident.’
The police spokesman in the state, Henry Okoye, had not yet provided any information on the incident at the time of filing this report.
