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| Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, his wife Judith and Commissioner for Health, Sampson Parker at the scene of the accident at Igwuruta Roundabout, Rivers State, Saturday [Mar. 17]. |
Do
we really value lives in this part of the world at all? This is a tragic report
from the Sunday Mirror as culled below, so SAD;
About seven people were feared
killed in the early hours of yesterday morning [Mar. 17] when a tanker, loaded
with substance believed to be petroleum products ran into residential buildings
in Igwuruta, a community along the Owerri-Port Harcourt road. About 25 houses
were burnt in the incident which happened close to the Port Harcourt
International Airport in Rivers State.
The dead include a family of five
comprising the father, mother and three children.
DSP Ben Ugwuegbulam, Rivers Police
Command Public Relations Officer (PRO) while acknowledging the incident would not
confirm the number of casualties. He noted that the police were still
investigating the matter.
Eyewitnesses told Sunday Mirror that
several people died while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in
the incident. Youths of the community embittered by what they perceived as the
not-so-quick response of the fire service personnel descended on the
fire-fighting vehicles and vandalized two of them before the intervention of a
team of police and military men.
An eyewitness, Emmanuel Enechi, said
he saw the tanker at top speed from the Port Harcourt end of the expressway. He
added that the driver lost control while negotiating the Igwuruta roundabout
and ran into houses before exploding into flames.
''I shouted and people started
coming for help. There was a family of five living here. None of them survived
the fire. They all died in the fire. A husband, his wife and three children all
died'', he lamented.
The state governor, Rt. Hon.
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has expressed his heartfelt sympathies to the victims
of the tragic fire incident.
''It is so disastrous. I hear an
entire family is gone, husband, wife and their children. Now look at the level
of damage'', Governor Amaechi mourned. The Rivers State Chief Executive was
close to tears as he inspected the scene of the accident. He pledged his
administration's readiness to provide necessary assistance to the families of
those affected by the fire. He also expressed his government's determination to
reduce drivers’ recklessness on the roads.
Governor Amaechi further said, we
must reduce the level of irresponsibility of some road users. I have just
directed the Commissioner for Special Duties to identify the families and let
us see how much we can assist them.
IMAGES FROM THE SCENE OF FIRE ACCIDENT
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| The Scene of the Inferno... |
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| One of the affected house... |
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