XMAS EVE: One dead, three injured in diesel tanker mishap in Uyo (+PICS)

By Eunice Williamson

It was a black Friday in the city of Uyo as a heavy duty truck loaded with diesel fell and spilled its content at  Ikot Oku Ikono Junction in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Capital.

The mishap which occurred at around 1pm led to the death of one person (the truck driver’s assistant) even as three persons sustained serious injuries. The driver was unscathed. 

The truck with registration number LE 338 UYY first rammed into the Ikot Oku Ikono Junction’s roundabout before hitting a stationary commercial taxi with registration number AKD 642 XE, a doughnut seller, as well as a middle aged woman.

We gathered from multiple sources that the victim lost his life while trying to stud the vehicle with a wedge even as it skidded towards the parked commercial taxi.   

As the tanker was spilling its content, people brought containers to scoop the diesel much to the chagrin of police officers.
The police had a torrid afternoon as they failed to stop the diesel scoopers from engaging in the rather risky act.

 Officials of the Akwa Ibom State Fire Service were on ground to forestall the possibility of fire outbreak. 

When the man believed to be the owner of the truck arrived the scene, he declined to speak to journalists. 

The Orbit can reliably report that the injured were rushed to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. The corpse was however left unattended to as at when The Orbit’s correspondent left the scene at 3:09 pm.