A gas explosion in Ibas community, Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State, has claimed the lives of at least 18 individuals, including a pregnant woman.
According to The PUNCH, reports suggest that the incident unfolded while some individuals from the community were engaged in scooping petroleum products.
An account from a resident named Emmanuel, the victims had been selling the product at the refining site when a sudden and devastating fire engulfed the area.
Emmanuel said, “More than 40 people were there at the site. They were there scooping crude oil when the place caught fire. The fire came from a refining site that was close to the point where they were scooping crude oil.
“Many Isiokpo and Oduoha people and Ibaa people were there. Seven of the people died inside the pit where they were scooping the crude. About 10 were burnt to charcoal by the pit.
“About 30 people died at the site while over 15 have been rushed to the hospital. I hear that three of them have died while they were being rushed to the hospital.”
However the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps gave the casualty figure as 18.
In a statement, the NSCDC’s Rivers State Command spokesperson, Olufemi Ayodele, noted that the deceased included a recent graduate and a woman whose wedding was planned for the following month.
Ayodele claimed that 25 people at the scene were saved by workers while 18 people were burnt.
According to him, preliminary investigations indicated that a cooking pot from a nearby refinery that was built adjacent to an oil reservoir that contained combustible components was what caused the explosion.
According to him, the atmosphere eventually put out the fire since the scorching temperature was too high.
“There is a need for conscious effort and stronger collaborations with the traditional institutions, community youths, and religious leaders amongst others to fight against oil bunkering activities in our various communities and this begins with giving credible intelligence and information to the NSCDC which remains the lead agency in the fight against vandalism of oil pipelines and protection of critical national assets and Infrastructures in Rivers State,” Ayodele said.
