Panic engulfed the streets of Benin, the capital of Edo State, on Thursday morning when a vehicle powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) burst into flames at the NIPCO filling station situated along the Benin-Auchi Expressway.
A video capturing the incident shows the vehicle completely destroyed as individuals fled in fear, driven by the deafening sound of the explosion, which instilled panic among the local residents.
It was gathered that three persons sustained various degrees of injuries and have been rushed to a private hospital for medical attention.
The incident has emerged following safety concerns highlighted regarding the transition from petrol-powered vehicles to CNG, as promoted by the Federal Government as a strategy to reduce transportation costs, following the elimination of fuel subsidies.
According to report from eyewitnesses “No fewer than three persons were rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in the aftermath of the explosion.
TheCable learnt that among the hospitalised are a passenger of another vehicle, a pump attendant, and another employee of the station.
A source at the gas station told TheCable that the explosion was caused by “the substandard conversion kits and cylinder used in the installation of the CNG on the Audi 80 salon car”.
“The driver of the car and the technician who installed the CNG kits in the vehicle had driven to the filling station to test the efficacy of the installation when the explosion occurred,” the source added.
