Although, Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mary Wakawa, said only four people died in the accident, Nigerian Pilot gathered that the death toll was as high as 20. Some residents maintained that the casualty figure was higher than the one released by the authorities.
The accident occurred at about 9.30pm on the fateful day when the truck fell while attempting to negotiate its way through a bad portion of the road.
Eyewitnesses said the truck burst into flames as its content poured on the road and spread to nearby houses and shops.
In a statement, Wakawa said: "Last night (Monday) a tanker caught fire at Bode Saadu at about 9.30pm. Eight people were involved, four of them died and four sustained serious injuries.
It was a lone accident and we have been there since yesterday. The fire was still on as at this morning but it has quelled. We have sent out our men to the site to clear the road for traffic."
The corpses of the deceased were being brought to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, UITH mortuary. The inferno destroyed houses, shops and cows in the area.
Information Officer of UITH, Oba Hassan Kadiri, said four of those injured who were brought to the hospital suffered about 85 degree burns and were being transferred to different clinics after initial treatment at the Accident and Emergency Unit.
He said the number of those who sustained injuries was high as there were still others yet to be transferred to the hospital from the accident scene. He hinted that the Kwara State government had pledged to pick up the bills of the victims.
Kadiri further said that most of the victims were brought in while the Commissioner for Health, Kayode Issa, was around and saw them and subsequently made the pledge on behalf of the government.
Residents however explained that as at the time of filing the report, the fire was still burning.
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