A woman and her child were burnt to death in an inferno following explosion after a tanker laden with Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) commonly called petrol tumbled onto the road with the contents spilled all over.
The woman and her child were charred by the fire.
The pre-dawn accident however erupted into a ball of fire and thick smoke around an hour later, sending people scampering for safety.
It was learnt that some people were trying to scoop fuel from the overturned tanker when the fire broke out.
Operatives of the State Fire Service, the Police, Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps(TRACE) were mobilised to the scene to contain the emergency but hoodlums resisted them, hurling stones at the emergency responders.
The fire fighting trucks of the Fire Service were vandalised and their windshields smashed.
Operational vehicles of the TRACE were also not spared as three of them were damaged.
The hoodlums, who also shot sporadically into the air, were incensed that the presence of the security operatives prevented them from breaking into shops in the area for shop liftings.
The Public Relations Officer, , Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, said the tanker overturned around 4.45am at the seedy Oju Irin, Lafenwa area of Abeokuta.
Although, Akinbiyi had earlier cautioned residents against trying to scoop the spill over fuel or getting close to the area with combustible materials and phone -hand sets to avert fire outbreak, it appears this was largely ignored.
The TRACE spokesperson also motorists going inward Rounder axis from Lafenwa, to change route and use Olomore and Oke-Ata axis respectively as alternatives, noting the accident had resulted to explosion and fire.
“The earlier reported tanker laden with fuel which overturned while making its way inbound Rounder from Oju-Irin, Lafenwa, is now engulfed in fire, due to the uncooperative attitude of people around the axis through scooping of fuel and other unwholesome act which sparked off the fire.
“The general public are advised to vacate the vicinity, while TRACE, POLICE, FRSC, FIRE SERVICE and other 1st responders resolve the latest emergency,”Akinbiyi stated.
