A petrol tanker carrying 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) exploded on Monday after crashing along the Iseyin/Oyo Road in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State, marking the second such incident in less than two weeks.

The tanker, with registration number Lagos LM62XP, reportedly lost control, veered off the road, and tumbled into a ditch near NICO Farm before igniting.

Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Ibadan, the state capital.

He said the service received a distress call at 10:46 a.m., and firemen led by PFS1 Azeez were dispatched to the site.

“The tanker, loaded with 45,000 litres of PMS, lost control whilst in motion, somersaulted into a ditch and caught fire,” Akinwande said. “The firemen quickly swung into action, applied chemical foam compound, and curtailed the fire from affecting nearby structures or vehicles. The blaze was completely extinguished and traffic was restored.”

There were no reported casualties at the time of filing this report.

This comes less than two weeks after a similar incident occurred on June 12 at Irepo Junction along the Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway. In that case, a tanker carrying 60,000 litres of petrol with registration number KANO KMC 65 ZC lost control and overturned.

Eyewitnesses Kunle Olanrewaju, Kazeem Ogunwuyi, and Bankole Adebayo said the accident caused panic among motorists and passersby, leading many to seek shelter under nearby trees until fire crews arrived to manage the spill.

Confirming the earlier incident, Akinwande said, “The spillage was covered with chemical foam to prevent any ignition. There was no casualty, and the response included personnel from the Federal Fire Service and officers from the Nigeria Police Ojongbodu Division for security.”

He attributed the crash to the driver’s lack of concentration.

Both incidents have raised concerns over the safety of transporting petroleum products across major roads in the state.