A diesel-laden tanker on Saturday morning exploded in a petrol filling station identified as Master Energy in Umuahia the Abia State capital.

It was gathered that the tanker was discharging disel to the underground tank when the fire incident happened.

The incident caused panic in the area as vehicles were temporarily abandoned within the filling station.

Also residents, especially those living close to the scene fled to avoid being caught up in the explosion.

As at the time of filing this report, firefighters were seen trying to control the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.