ABUJA, March 20 (AGCNewsNet) – Several people are feared dead following a devastating tanker explosion near Karu Bridge in Abuja on Wednesday evening.

Eyewitness footage captured frantic calls for help as trapped motorists were seen engulfed in flames. Witnesses reported that the tanker lost control near the bridge, which connects Kugbo and Nyanya along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway, before crashing into other vehicles and igniting the explosion.

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Department (FEMD) confirmed the incident, stating that the explosion occurred at approximately 7:14 p.m. A statement from FEMD’s Head of Public Affairs, Nkechi Isa, quoted the agency’s Head of Forecasting Response and Mitigation, Mark Nyam, who explained that the accident was caused by a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) truck losing control and colliding with multiple vehicles.

Emergency response teams, including the FEMD, the Federal Fire Service, the FCT Fire Service, the Nigeria Police Force, and the National Emergency Management Agency, were deployed to the scene to carry out rescue operations.

Authorities have yet to release an official casualty count, but the scale of the explosion has raised fears of significant loss of life.

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