Four people have been hospitalised after two tankers collided and burst into flames on Monday morning along the Zaria–Kaduna Expressway.
The accident happened around 8:30am in the Dan Magaji area and involved a Liquefied Natural Gas tanker and an empty tanker.
The impact triggered an explosion that engulfed both vehicles and left the victims with varying degrees of burns.
The Zaria Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nasir Falgore, said preliminary findings indicated that the LNG tanker crashed into the back of the empty one after the latter suffered a sudden tyre blowout.
“The driver of the gas-laden tanker could not stop in time, resulting in the collision and subsequent fire,” Falgore explained.
He noted that the incident caused heavy traffic on the busy Kaduna–Kano route and urged tanker drivers to be more careful when transporting hazardous materials.
“Drivers should carry out pre-trip checks, avoid speeding, and maintain safe distances. Tankers carrying LNG or fuel require extra caution because accidents can have devastating consequences,” he said.
The Area Commander of the Federal Fire Service in Zaria, Aminu Kiyawa, said firefighters were mobilised immediately after receiving a distress call.
“By the time we arrived, both tankers were already ablaze. Our priority was to rescue trapped victims and prevent the fire from spreading,” Kiyawa said.
According to him, three of the injured were in the LNG tanker, while the fourth was rescued from the second vehicle. All have been taken to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika.
He also clarified that, contrary to rumours, no smaller vehicles were involved in the crash.
Eyewitnesses reported that the explosion was heard several kilometres away. Local trader Mallam Musa Garba described the sound as “like a bomb blast,” while another resident, Mrs. Jummai Umar, said the scene initially felt like a terrorist attack.
The incident adds to a series of tanker-related crashes in Kaduna State in recent years.
Residents say the Zaria–Kaduna highway remains particularly dangerous due to reckless driving and heavy traffic from large vehicles.
Commercial driver Haruna Bello lamented, “We see tankers speeding, overtaking on curves, and sometimes overloading. It’s an everyday risk on this road.”
