Explosion near Abuja’s Apo Bridge sparks panic, emergency responders rush to scene

Residents and motorists around the Apo Bridge area of Abuja were thrown into panic on Thursday night following an explosion near Shafa Filling Station, close to Rita Lori Hotel in the Garki district.

An eyewitness said he heard several loud blasts in quick succession, initially fearing the incident was a bomb explosion.

“It just exploded. I thought it was a bomb blast. I heard about seven explosions,” the witness said.

The explosion, which reportedly occurred near the busy filling station, triggered fear and confusion as residents and road users fled the area in search of safety.

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Emergency responders from the Federal Fire Service and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service later arrived at the scene and immediately commenced efforts to contain the resulting fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings and facilities.

As of the time of filing this report, authorities had not confirmed the cause of the explosion, while there was no official information on casualties or the extent of damage caused by the incident.

Security personnel and emergency officials remained at the scene to manage the situation, with residents advised to steer clear of the area to allow firefighting and rescue operations to continue unhindered.

Authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the incident.