17 rescued, one injured as CNG bus catches fire in Lagos

Seventeen people escaped unhurt after a Compressed Natural Gas-powered commercial bus caught fire at Berger Bus Stop on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Wednesday.

One passenger sustained severe burns in the incident, which occurred on the Lagos-bound section of the expressway.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said the bus, with registration number EKY 798 YK, was carrying 18 people, including the driver, from the Mowe-Ibafo axis towards Lagos when it caught fire.

LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, said in a statement that the agency’s officials rescued 17 occupants. The injured passenger, who was seated at the rear of the bus, was taken to the Lagos State Trauma and Emergency Centre, Toll Gate.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service later extinguished the fire, while officers of the Ojodu Police Division secured the scene.

LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the agency’s personnel and other emergency responders for their intervention.

He urged commercial transport operators, particularly those using CNG-powered vehicles, to carry out regular inspections and ensure their gas storage and delivery systems were properly maintained.

Previous CNG incidents

The Lagos incident comes amid concerns about the safety of gas-powered vehicles in the country.

In September, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles warned against unauthorised vehicle conversions after a vehicle fitted with an uncertified CNG cylinder exploded at a filling station along Airport Road in Abuja.

The initiative urged motorists to use cylinders approved for CNG storage and have their vehicles converted at accredited centres.

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In April, an investigation by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria into a vehicle explosion in Kaduna identified a failed safety valve and lapses in maintenance and inspection as contributing factors. The CNG initiative subsequently called for regular safety checks and compliance with manufacturers’ maintenance guidelines.

Nigeria has 80 approved standards covering CNG-powered vehicles and related equipment. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria announced the standards in March 2024, covering conversion kits, gas storage cylinders, vehicle safety and refuelling stations.

The incidents have brought renewed attention to the safety of CNG-powered vehicles and the need to ensure that conversion and maintenance requirements are followed.