An oil tanker has caught fire in Lagos, killing nine people, injuring four people and setting 53 cars on fire, Reutersreports.

The accident occurred on a major highway that connects Lagos and Ibadan, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) spokesperson Adeshina Tiamiyu tells Reuters.

Bisi Kazeem, a spokesman for the Federal Road Safety Commission, also says the crash happened around Otedola bridge on the part of the road that heads out of Lagos. He says to Reuters that the cause of the accident was due to brake failure.

The tanker, five buses, two trucks, a tricycle and 45 cars were set ablaze.

"As a government, we would not relent in putting measures in place to ensure safety of lives and property of all residents," adds Lagos state government spokesman Kehinde Bamigbetan in a statement. "We extend our deepest commiseration to the families of persons who lost their lives as well as properties to the incident."

The state government was clearing damaged vehicles from the road.

Along with extending condolences on social media, Nigerians have been critical to why incidents such as this have not been prevented by the local and federal government.