The search for the driver of an unregistered Toyota 4Runner has become the latest development in the Kubwa gas-plant explosion, after police linked the Sunday morning inferno to a suspected traffic violation that ended with the vehicle crashing into the facility.
The driver and other occupants reportedly fled immediately after the crash, prompting the FCT Police Command to begin efforts to identify and locate them.
The incident occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Sunday near Liberty Junction, Byazhin, Kubwa, in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
According to preliminary police findings, the SUV was allegedly being driven against traffic when the driver lost control and rammed into the cooking gas plant. The impact reportedly triggered an explosion and subsequent fire that spread to adjoining shops and other properties.
The scale of the resulting damage was still being assessed as of Monday, although several properties were reportedly destroyed in the blaze.
FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said officers from the Kubwa Police Division responded to a distress call from a resident and arrived to find the fire spreading beyond the gas facility.
The police subsequently contacted the Federal Fire Service, whose personnel worked with officers at the scene to contain the inferno.
Adeh said the preliminary investigation had established the road crash as the trigger for the explosion, while efforts were underway to trace the vehicle and identify the driver.
The incident was first reported by SaharaReporters.
The police account places the focus of the investigation on the circumstances preceding the explosion, particularly the alleged violation of traffic rules and the subsequent loss of control of the SUV.
Residents had earlier fled the area after a loud blast and thick smoke reportedly engulfed the vicinity, raising fears of a wider gas-related disaster.
The incident has also brought renewed attention to the risks posed when vehicular crashes occur around facilities handling highly combustible materials, particularly in densely populated commercial areas.
As investigators work to establish the full circumstances of the crash, the immediate priority for the police remains locating the driver and other occupants who left the scene after the explosion.
