Several persons within the vicinity of the accident escaped death by the whiskers, as they barely jumped to safer locations before the tanker, which had lost control on the bridge, burst into a fiery flame.
Eyewitnesses told Sunday Sun that the tanker, which was coming from Kano and probably going to Jigawa State, collided with a red Toyota Carina with registration number AA 624 TFB, and thereafter lost control, almost plunging from the bridge into the river.
It was gathered that in the process to avert falling into the river, the tanker driver hoped the motorcycles in front would give it support.
The incident, which happened about 7:30 am, immediately caused a huge traffic gridlock as motorists going to Jigawa State or at least five other states could not continue their journey.
Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in the state, Alhaji Zaki Alkali, told Sunday Sun that his officers were immediately deployed to the scene of the accident and had to divert motorists to a yet-to-be completed road.
It was also gathered that officers of the Fire Service in the state battled for five hours to put out the inferno.
Although they eventually succeeded, the tanker was still dripping oil when Sunday Sun visited the scene, even as commuters were seen very close to the burnt tanker.
Alhaji Alkali said the next line of action was to find a way to tow the burnt tanker off the road so that normal vehicular passage would resume, given the significance of the expressway as the only exit route to a number of states.
He blamed the accident on over-speeding, adding that there was no human casualty from the accident.
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