A 28-year-old welder, Kabir Usman, has lost his life after a tanker truck he was repairing exploded while he was inside its compartment. angie s Jazzy Jasmine
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in Tafa town, located off the Abuja–Kaduna expressway in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A resident, Ahmad Bunkau, told Daily Trust that he heard a deafening blast while preparing for Juma’at prayers.
“I was sitting inside a nearby mosque when I heard a loud explosion some minutes after 12pm. On stepping out, I saw flames shooting into the sky with successive blasts for about half an hour before volunteers managed to put out the fire,” he recounted.
Efforts to get firefighters from nearby Sabon-Wuse, in neighboring Niger State, reportedly failed as officials on duty declined to cross into Kaduna territory.
A police officer from Tafa Division, whose station is adjacent to the welding workshop, said the blast initially sparked panic among personnel, with many fleeing in fear of a bomb attack. The situation was later brought under control after their Divisional Police Officer, SP Ibrahim Idris, led them to assist volunteers in extinguishing the fire.
Usman’s remains were later taken to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Memorial Hospital in Sabon-Wuse.
