There’s such a thin line between life and death. The last time I thought about survival so deeply was when I had a close-to-drowning experience. I’ll cut to the chase here. I was leaving the Mainland at approximately 18:49, yesterday, and I didn’t have to wait so long at the Anthony BRT terminal. The bus was filled so some people had to stand and luckily (in this context), I stood by the exit.

On the Maryland-Ojota bridge, something remarkably terrifying happened. I’m very much aware of volatile environments and blast radii due to my professional experiences. I have also heard of fatality cases and the like. Next thing, I and some other people who were standing spotted this tanker less than 200m away. The tanker was parked and it was burning by the rear. Someone was observed around the tanker, but it wasn’t clear what he was trying to do. The flame didn’t seem to go off.

“Driver!!! Open your door!” was my “on your marks” call. I had a knapsack on but it felt so light at this point. Cars were terrified. Our BRT was the closest to the incident. At this time, the person by the tanker seemed to be making some progress, but I just wasn’t convinced. The other cars still backed up.I was at Maryland in the twinkle of an eye, and fortunately, it seemed everything went well with the tanker truck. I’m sure I was the only one that deserted the bus at the time as my head couldn’t stop calculating the impact of any possible explosion.

PS. For those who form the habit of sleeping in vehicles, try to stay alert, your safety is usually in your hands in emergency situations.