By Shola O’Neil, Port Harcourt and Precious Igbonwelundu, Lagos

Two petrol tankers fell on Sunday, one in Lagos State, the other in Bayelsa, spilling their contents.

As the flammable liquid gushed many locals rushed in, armed with various contains, to scoop it.

A 33,000-litre capacity tanker upturned in the  Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, and residents threw caution to the wind as they scrambled for the gushing petrol.

The tanker upturned early on Sunday morning while ascending the Festac Link Bridge.

The Nation reports that a devastating explosion rocked that same bridge two years ago after a gas tanker fell on the same spot, killing many and destroying properties worth hundreds of millions.

Despite warnings by the Resident and Community Development Associations for people to avoid the area, some individuals stormed the scene with kegs and buckets to  help themselves to the fuel.

It took the intervention of police operatives who were alerted by concerned residents to get those scooping the petrol off the scene and by so doing prevent fire outbreak.

The Nation gathered that the bridge was immediately barricaded to prevent vehicular movement as motorists from Apple Junction and First Avenue were diverted.

Read Also: PHOTOS: Residents scoop fuel after tanker upturns on FESTAC link bridge

Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said they responded to the distress call around 6am and discovered a fallen tanker with its content rapidly spilling.

He said a joint team of firemen from LASEMA and Lagos Fire Service took immediate action to a prevent secondary incident but that people carrying kegs suddenly invaded the scene to scoop petrol.

“This required additional police support. Transloading of product is ongoing. We appeal for calm.

“The agency has observed a disturbing trend in the recent incidents we have been occasioned to respond to.

“We appeal to all Lagosians to cooperate with first responders and to condemn these unlawful and dangerous acts.

“Those scooping petrol believe that they can resell such. Kindly refrain from purchasing fuel from unregulated sources,” he said.

The Bayelsa incident happened in Kaiama, headquarters of Kolokuma-Opokuma council area.

The tanker bearing the mark of a local petroleum  tank farm operator, Matrix Petroleum, upturned near the Kaiama-Odi Junction on the East-West Road.

The tanker collided with at least two trucks, one of which was blocking the Kaiama onward Port Harcourt lane at the time of this report.

The accident triggered a mad rush for petroleum products gushing from several openings in  the tanker, which totally cut off traffic on the Port Harcourt onward Patani lane.

Youths, women and even aged members of the town and nearby communities descended on the tanker without concern for their safety and scrambled to outdo one another to scoop the pouring liquid suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)  commonly known as diesel from the fallen tanker.

The petroleum product had spilled and formed a shallow river on the tarred road, but after almost wiping road dry, they continued to fetch from other points.

Attempt by our reporter, who witnessed the scene from a safe distance, to draw the attention of the participants to the danger inherent in their activities was rebuffed.

One of those involved in the mad rush called it ‘manna from heaven’.

Some travellers along the route also momentarily abandoned their trips and joined in the show as they brought out all forms of containers to scoop their share of the loot.

The incident led to emergence of some fast dealers in the stolen product and a crash in the price of diesel around the scene.

One of the participants offered our reporter a 30lt keg of the product for 3,500, nearly half the pump price of N220 per liter.

Ironically, the scene of the dangerous rush was barely 50km from Okogbe, Ahoada West LGA in Rivers State, where about 200 persons died from a similar venture in June 2012.

The partakers were recalcitrant: “What we are fetching is diesel, not petrol. Diesel doesn’t burn like petrol and so I don’t see any danger,” one of the dealers said.