President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with victims of the fire incident in Onitsha, Anambra State on Wednesday.
Three persons were said to have been killed, including a mother and her child, after a fuel tanker fell and went up in flames at MCC Bus stop near Toronto Hospital, Upper-Iweka, Onitsha.
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In a statement on Wednesday by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, President Buhari said he was touched by the images from the incident.
“I am profoundly touched by the sight of the charred remains of an innocent mother and her child who are victims of this tragedy.
“I also extend my sympathies to other victims of the explosion whose houses, shops and other property were destroyed in the mishap,” he said.
The president explained that “while I express sadness over this tragedy, I must at the same time call for urgent action on the part of those concerned to stem these frequent fatal disasters on public roads.”
Buhari called “on the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Road Safety Commission and other stakeholders to urgently address the issue of safety standards in the country, with a view to stemming the embarrassing frequency of these tragedies.”
Many houses along Iweka Road were burnt, some parts of Ochanja Market were affected while about six houses and vehicles were razed.
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Reports say that it took over an hour for the Delta fire service to arrive at the location because of the distance and traffic on River Niger bridge and the Onitsha-Benin highway.
Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has also sympathised with victims of the fire.
