17 people have reportedly died in the petrol tanker explosion which occurred at Koko Junction on the Benin/Sapele Expressway in Ethiope West council area of Delta State.
The Delta State Police Command, DSP Onome Onowakpoyeya said the driver of the petroleum tanker was trying to manoeuvre a bad spot on the road when it fell and exploded.
Four vehicles were also burnt as residents rushed to scoop the product. A truck driver, Kola Akintayo who witnessed the incident told The Nation that another vehicle passing by scraped a metal which ignited a fire.
Officials of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and security agencies evacuated bodies and rushed the injured to a hospital in Oghara community.