LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- No fewer than 18 people, including a pregnant woman, have lost their lives following an explosion in an illegal oil refining site in Ibas community, Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident is said to have occurred when some people in the community were scooping petroleum products.
25 others at the scene were reportedly injured as a result of the fire on 1 October.
A video from the scene of the fire showed remains of children, men and women littering the scene.
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The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Basil Igwebueze, and the said LGA Chairman, Chidi Lloyd, confirmed the incident.
Igwebueze gave the death toll of 18, however, a community source further disclosed that it had risen to 33.
The commandant said a pregnant woman, the son of the illegal refinery operator and an about-to-wed lady were among those burnt to ashes.
He said while the owner of the refinery, John Bodo, sustained severe injury, his son, Uche, who graduated recently from a tertiary institution, died on the spot.
He stated, āThe fire outbreak started at a very late hour. Hence, 18 victims were burnt beyond recognition, while 25 injured persons were rescued.
āFrom our preliminary findings, it was gathered that the inferno was caused by a local refinery cooking pot constructed close to an oil reservoir which contained combustible materials.
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“The temperature eventually became too high, and the environment gutted fire. We also gathered that the cooking pot belonged to one Mr. John Bodo, who sustained severe fire injuries while his son, Uche John Bodo, a fresh graduate, died on the spot.
āIt is also lamentable to relay that most of the victims were youths. Then, a pregnant woman and a young lady getting ready for her marriage ceremony next month were all casualties. ā
The commandant decried the unrepentant nature of those dealing illegally in petroleum products through the construction and operation of local refineries.
āIt is disheartening that the more we dismantle these illegal refineries, the more people engage in such unscrupulous activities.
āThe fire disaster is highly condemnable and uncalled for. There is a need for conscious effort and stronger collaborations with the traditional institutions, community youths and religious leaders, amongst others, to fight oil bunkering in our various communities,ā he added.
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While condoling with the affected families, the commandant warned those operating illegal refineries across the state to have a rethink.
According to a resident in the community, who gave his name as Emmanuel Daniel, the victims were selling the product at the refining site when the place suddenly went up in flames.
Emmanuel noted that the number of those burnt to death had risen to 33; 15 injured persons were rushed to the hospital.
āMore 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.
āMany 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.
āAbout 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,ā Emmanuel disclosed.