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Containers crashed on bunker tanker from MAERSK container ship

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…As Anger in France as six killed in Marseille building collapse***

Three containers fell from container ship docked at Panama city on Nov 6, two crash on bunker tanker KOLLUM, moored alongside container ship and in the process of bunkering, and one container fell into water.

Container ship wasn’t identified, but judging from photos I’ve been sent, it’s CHARLOTTE MAERSK, which arrived at Panama City on Nov 6 from Lazaro Cardenas Mexico.

Bunker tanker should sustain some damages, but thankfully, containers crash didn’t spark off fire.

IMRRA, FleetMon’s official Vessel Risk Rating Partner, risk assessed KOLLUM tanker as having a ‘amber’ risk rating, with a specific risk rating of 38% (26-JAN-18), compared to the fleet average 34%.

In the meantime, a sixth body was found Wednesday in the wreckage of two dilapidated buildings that collapsed in the French city of Marseille, where furious residents have accused authorities of ignoring warnings about the state of housing for the poorest.

Officials have vowed to inspect all buildings in the southern city deemed “unsuitable” for habitation, two days after the apartment blocks collapsed in a disaster rare for a major European city.

As many as eight people are feared to have been killed when the buildings crumbled on Monday morning in Noailles, a working-class district in the heart of the Mediterranean port city.

After searching the rubble through a second night, rescuers have retrieved the bodies of four men and two women, prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux told AFP.

“We’re working hard, so there’s still hope,” a rescue worker told AFP at dawn on Wednesday as his team continued to search the wreckage with sniffer dogs.

But Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had already warned on Monday evening that there was “little chance of finding air pockets” in a pile of rubble stretching 15 metres (50 feet) long.

The delicacy of the operation — and the fragility of the buildings — became clear when a third adjoining block partially collapsed on Monday evening.

Google Maps images taken in recent months showed large cracks in the facades of the buildings, only one of which was occupied.

The two on either side were in such a bad state that they had been declared off limits and boarded up.

Residents say that structural problems with the buildings on the narrow shopping street were widely known, but that city officials did little when alerted about them.

“Everybody knew about the problems,” said Patrick Lacoste, a spokesman for a local housing action group.

“People died for nothing.”

Local resident Toufik Ben Rhouma said the neighbourhood was “hell”, declaring the disaster “100 percent the fault of city hall”.

Sophie Dorbeaux meanwhile told AFP she had left the now-demolished block on Sunday night to stay with her parents because her door, like several others, was not opening or closing properly.

“The walls had been moving for several weeks and cracks had appeared,” the 25-year-old philosophy student said.

“It could have been me,” she added, visibly shaken.

Castaner told lawmakers in Paris on Tuesday that he had ordered a building-by-building audit before an “ambitious programme for ensuring safe conditions” along with Marseille authorities.

“Nearly 6,000 properties have been identified as at risk” in the city, he said, representing some 44,000 lodgings in lower-class neighbourhoods.

Marseille city authorities, who have evacuated and rehoused 100 residents from nearby buildings, believe heavy rain may have contributed to the collapse.

But critics say Marseille’s poorest have long lived in unacceptable conditions.

The neighbourhood struck by the disaster is home to many buildings in a similarly dilapidated condition, some of them run by slum landlords.

Marseille authorities began a vast upgrade plan for the city centre in 2011.

But a 2015 government report said about 100,000 Marseille residents were living in housing that was dangerous to their health or security.

“It’s unthinkable that such things happen in our time,” said Christian Gouverneur, who owns a flat across the road from the disaster site.

FleetMon with additional report from Guardian UK

Accidents

FRSC Confirms 6 Dead, 5 Injured In Ibadan Road Accident

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FRSC Confirms 6 Dead, 5 Injured In Ibadan Road Accident

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Oyo State Command, has confirmed the death of six persons in an accident involving multiple vehicles on Monday at Oke Eleshin, Amuloko area of the State.

The FRSC Public Education Officer in the State, Mayowa Odewo, told newsmen in Ibadan on Monday in a message that five persons were injured in the accident.

Odewo said eleven persons were involved in the accident, while the five vehicles involved were two tricycles, two trucks and a Sienna vehicle.

He said the five injured persons had been taken to Amuloko City Hospital by good Samaritans, while the corpses were taken to University College Hospital, Ibadan, before the arrival of FRSC personnel.

Odewo urged drivers to adhere strictly to road safety rules and regulations to reduce avoidable crashes.

An eyewitness revealed that among the dead were pupils and a mother to one of the pupils.

The witness said that a trailer appeared to have lost control and rammed into the vehicles.”

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Ember Months: 2 Children Die, 7 Injured In Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway Accident

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Ember Months: 2 Children Die, 7 Injured In Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway Accident

…As Osun accident claims 4 lives – FRSC

Two children were confirmed dead in a lone accident involving a Toyota Camry at Kere, Itori on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.

Mrs Florence Okpe, the Spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, confirmed the incident in a statement in Abeokuta on Sunday.

Okpe noted that the accident occurred at about 11:00 p.m. on Saturday.

She explained that the accident was caused by speeding, saying that the car marked AGL 36 JA was overloaded with passengers.

“A total of seven men, one male child and a female child were involved in the crash.

“One male child and one female child were killed in the accident while others sustained different forms of injury in the crash,” she said.

The FRSC spokesperson added that the injured victims were taken to the General Hospital, Ifo, while the corpses were deposited at the morgue.

She advised motorists to always adhere to traffic rules and regulations. 

In another development, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osun Command, says four persons lost their lives in Sunday’s accident that occurred on the Osun-Ondo expressway.

Mr Taofeeq Sokumbi, Osun Sector Commander, disclosed this in an interview in Osogbo.

Sokumbi said the accident occurred opposite Joseph Ayo Babalola University due to excessive speeding on the part of the vehicles involved, leading to the death of four passengers.

He warned motorists against dangerous driving which could lead to loss of lives and property.

According to him, the accident was due to the carelessness of the driver, who knew the danger that lay ahead due to excessive speeding.

He said the injured persons had been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment with corpses of the dead victims deposited at a morgue.

Sokumbi, however, warned that the command would not hesitate to deal with any road offender violating the state’s safety laws.

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Tanker Tyre Explosion Sparks Chaos In Surulere

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Tanker Tyre Explosion Sparks Chaos In Surulere

 Pandemonium engulfed Ekololu, a community in the Surulere area of Lagos, on Monday night when the back tyres of a tanker transporting fuel to a Conoil filling station burst into flames near the station.

The News Correspondent who resides in the area reports that the explosion of the tyres and the ensuing billows of smoke made residents living near the filling station flee for safety.

Observations by the newsmen revealed that staff from the filling station hurried out with fire extinguishers to combat the fire, which erupted around 9:00 p.m., just a few meters from the station’s entrance.

Emergency responders, including Federal and State Fire Services, as well as the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), swiftly arrived at the scene following distress calls from the community.

The ill-fated tanker that caused the pandemonium

Upon arrival, the emergency teams assessed the unregistered truck carrying the petrol and raised concerns about safety measures while questioning the driver and filling station management.

They provided guidance and oversaw the safe discharge of the fuel using a long hose to transfer the petroleum product from the stranded tanker into the filling station’s reservoirs.

The Station Manager of the Conoil filling station, Mr Kunle Oniya, informed the emergency responders that the station possessed 20 fire extinguishers, which were promptly utilised to contain the fire and prevent its spread.

The incident led to a traffic gridlock, with vehicles unable to move in the area for nearly an hour.

Some residents shared their experiences of the ordeal with the newsmen.

A resident, Malam Shehu, recounted abandoning his dinner upon witnessing the fiery explosion.

He expressed gratitude that the fire was contained before causing further damage.

Another resident, known as Iya Abigail, described hearing people shouting while she was playing games, prompting her to flee in confusion wearing her nightclothes.

She prayed for continued safety in the community.

An elderly resident, who preferred anonymity, urged filling stations in the area to prioritise safety and the welfare of residents.

She noted that filling stations typically had insurance against fire and other disasters and suggested extending such coverage to vulnerable buildings in their host communities.

Recalling the chaotic events, she said that she heard the sound of an emergency whistle to alert the neighbourhood before hastily evacuating her home.

“I was watching TV and when the incident occurred, I had to blow the emergency whistle to alert the neighbourhood but I quickly dressed up before running out of the house,” she said. 

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