Nigeria: At least 12 people were killed in an explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. However, locals say the death toll is much higher. A police spokesman said the explosion occurred near a pipeline in Emuha council area of the southern state, when illegal refinery operators were trying to steal oil.
Nigeria: At least 12 people were killed in an explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. However, locals say the death toll is much higher. A police spokesman said the explosion occurred near a pipeline in Emuha council area of the southern state, when illegal refinery operators were trying to steal oil.
He said preliminary police investigations indicated that all the deceased were extracting crude oil at the site when the fire broke out. A police spokesperson said five vehicles, four auto-rickshaws and a motorcycle were burnt to ashes due to the explosion and fire. He said that the authorities are now ascertaining how many people were killed in the incident.
At the same time, local people said that dozens of people may die in the event of explosion and fire. He said most of the dead were youths who had planned to extract oil from a pipeline in at least five vehicles and take it to an illegal refinery site. He said the explosion was so powerful that it shook nearby buildings. Some bystanders rushed to try to save, but could not.
Fineface Dumnamen, executive director of the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Center, said as soon as the driver started the bus loaded with gallons of crude oil. During this, the spark from the smoke pipe caused an explosion. Later the fire spread to others and all the occupants of about five vehicles got burnt.
Let us tell you that Nigeria, which is one of the top oil producers in Africa, has a strong business of illegal refineries. Illegal refinery operators are most active in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, where most of the country’s oil companies are located. Safety standards are hardly followed here, due to which fire incidents keep happening here. Last year, more than 100 people were killed in a similar incident in Imo state.
