CNG bus catches fire on Lagos-Ibadan highway, 17 rescued
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Premium Times
A commercial compressed natural gas bus caught fire on Wednesday at Berger bus stop on the Lagos-Ibadan highway while carrying 18 people. Seventeen occupants were rescued and one severely burned passenger was taken to the Lagos trauma centre, according to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.
The bus, registered EKY 798 YK, was carrying 18 people, including the driver, between the Mowe-Ibafo axis and Lagos when it caught fire at Berger bus stop, on the Lagos-bound section of the Lagos-Ibadan highway. Seventeen occupants were rescued, while a passenger seated at the rear suffered severe burns, said Adebayo Taofiq, director of public affairs and enlightenment at the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), according to Premium Times.
The injured passenger was taken to the Lagos State Trauma and Emergency Centre at Toll Gate. Lagos fire and rescue services put out the fire and police from the Ojodu division secured the scene, according to LASTMA. Its director-general, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, praised the response of the emergency services and called on transport operators using compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to regularly inspect their vehicles and maintain their gas storage and supply systems.
The incident comes amid concerns over the safety of CNG vehicles in Nigeria. In September, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles warned against unauthorised conversions after a vehicle fitted with an uncertified CNG cylinder exploded in Abuja. In April, an investigation by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria attributed a vehicle explosion in Kaduna partly to a safety valve failure and inadequate maintenance and inspection, according to Premium Times.
