A woman and her baby were burnt to death while more than 40 buildings were razed in a tanker explosion at Upper Iweka area of Onitsha, Anambra State.

TheLagostimes gathered that over 500 lock-up shops were also gutted by the fire along with the Iweka street market leading to Ochanja and Menax markets.

The explosion reportedly started when a tanker laden with petrol, descending from the Zik’s roundabout end of Onitsha-Enugu expressway, lost control at Toronto Hospital and veered off the service lane.

The tanker’s head fell off and went up in flames after spilling its content within the area.

It was gathered that the woman carrying her baby reportedly tried to jump out of her shop, but mistakenly stepped on a slippery object and fell into the gutter raging with fire. She could not be rescued as the inferno covered the entire area.

"@tellmarh: Someone just sent me this video. Please if you have family in Onitsha call them oo. Fire outbreak in Onitsha all the way to ochanja. Can someone in Onitsha give us an update?. Cc @Gidi_Traffic pic.twitter.com/uSm7L72YKH

— GIDITRAFFIC (@Gidi_Traffic) October 16, 2019

An eyewitness told The Guardian that the fire started at about 10:00 a.m. and there was no presence of fire servicemen at the scene.

“You can see people looking helplessly as their houses, shops, and goods are burning. If not for the courage of some youths, some elderly persons and children trapped in some highrise buildings along Iweka road would have perished in the fire as smoke almost suffocated them before they were rescued,” he said.

There was, however, a mild drama when two toilet drilling tankers on their way to dumpsites were forced by angry youths in the area to use the feces, mixed with water, to put off the fire.

Meanwhile, president Muhammadu Buhari has also joined other Nigerians in expressing sadness over the deaths from the incident.

“I am profoundly touched by the sight of the charred remains of an innocent mother and her child who are victims of this tragedy,” the president said via his verified twitter handle.

“I also extend my sympathies to other victims of the explosion whose houses, shops and other property were destroyed in the mishap.

“While I express sadness over this tragedy, I must at the same time call for urgent action on the part of those concerned to stem these frequent fatal disasters on public roads”, he added.

According to him, “safety precautions and routine maintenance are taken for granted by vehicle owners.”