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Tag: explosion

  • Three killed as Agip pipeline explodes during repair work 

    Three killed as Agip pipeline explodes during repair work 

    Three persons have been killed in a pipeline explosion that occurred in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    It was gathered that the pipeline which exploded at the weekend is owned by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).

    The incident was said to have happened at Olugboboro close to Olugbobiri area of the council.

    A security source who spoke in confidence said: “There was a rupture on Agip pipeline and welders were engaged to clamp it. In the process, the pipeline exploded and went into flames”.

    He, however, blamed it on lack of precautionary measures and compromise of safety tips by the oil company describing the incident as one too many.

    He recalled that on July 9, 2015, a blast at Agip’s oil field in Azuzuama, Southern Ijaw, during repair work, left 14 people dead.

    A regulatory official of Bayelsa Ministry of Environment and NOSDRA and 12 maintenance crew members were amongst the victims.

    Also, a state Representative of the Environmental Rights Action (ERA) confirmed the report.

    He said two of the deceased persons were from his maternal hometown in Brass, Brass Local Government Area.

    He identified one of the victims as a professional welder and the other person as the only son of his mother.

    He said: “Another Agip pipeline explosion claimed three lives on Sunday. The pipeline is at Olugboboro, not far from Olugbobiri.

    “Two persons from my maternal home town,Brass are amond the dead; one of them a professional welder and the other; only son of his mother.”

    He said repair work was ongoing in the pipeline when it exploded.

    “Clamping or repairs was on-going when the incident happened. At least, that is the cause of the explosion; as per information at ERA’s disposition”, he said.

    In its reaction, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) said there was a blast at an oil field operated by Agip.

    The Director-General, NOSDRA, Dr. Peter Idabor, Director-General said that an employee of the agency escaped death by the whiskers.

    Idabor said that the survivor drew the attention of the oil workers to an alleged breach of safety procedure and left the scene before the explosion occurred.

    He said: “I received a report of the incident from our staff in Yenagoa office and luckily one of our officers on the team survived. Because of the safety conditions of the place, after inspection my staff left the place and he was not affected.

    “I am going to report the matter officially to the Minister of Environment today”.

  • Emefiele visits CBN Calabar, explosion victims

    Emefiele visits CBN Calabar, explosion victims

    Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele Monday morning visited the branch of the bank in Calabar, Cross River State that was affected by a gas explosion last Friday.

    Four people died in the blast, while several more were injured.

    The governor who refused to speak with journalists visited the victims at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) and thereafter proceeded to inspect the extent of damage to the bank before immediately proceeding back to Abuja.

    A meeting with the deputy governor of the state, Prof Ivara Esu was called off.

    Although reporters were not allowed in when he when he visited the victims, it was gathered that arrangements were for those who were in me severe conditions to be transferred to other health facilities in the country or flown out if need be.

    Meanwhile operations have resumed at the CBN in Calabar, although skeletally.

    The Nation learnt that departments that were affected by the explosion would be transferred to another temporary structure, while renovation work is done.

     

  • CBN explosion: Two more die

    CBN explosion: Two more die

    Two more persons affected by the explosion at the Central Bank of Nigeria in Calabar on Friday have died in the hospital, it was learnt yesterday.

    The bank, in a statement on Friday, said two persons were confirmed dead and 25 injured in the explosion.

    The injured were sent to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), General Hospital and the Navy Hospital.

    A UCTH employee told our reporter that two more person died in the hospital on Saturday as a result of injuries sustained from the explosion.

  • Two confirmed killed, 25 injured as explosion rocks CBN in Calabar

    Two confirmed killed, 25 injured as explosion rocks CBN in Calabar

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has attributed yesterday’s fire incident at its Calabar Branch in Cross River State to gas explosion.

    A statement signed by CBN’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Ugochukwu Okorafor, said the fire, which broke out at about 12 noon in the banking hall of the premises, was apparently caused by a gas explosion from air conditioners in the building undergoing some refurbishment at the moment.

    “As soon as the incident occurred, the CBN emergency alert system was activated, the Fire Service was called in, and the fire was immediately brought under control,” the statement said.

    He added that following the explosion and fire, about 25 persons sustained various levels of injury, and is currently receiving treatment at hospitals in Calabar while four of the injured have been discharged.

    “We are, however, very saddened to confirm that two of the critically injured, a CBN staff and a construction worker, have died at the hospital. We are now working with the bereaved families to determine next steps. More details will be made known to the public in due course,” it said.

    The Cross River State Government called for calm after the explosion that destroyed a substantial part of the edifice and left casualties.

    Speaking after appraising the level of damage caused by the explosion, the State Deputy Governor, Professor Ivara Esu, called on the public to exercise restraint in peddling rumours until results of investigations emerge.

    He expressed shock at the enormity of devastation.

    Professor Esu pledged the support of the state government to the bank and its staff to enable it continue normal operations while investigation and rehabilitation work last.

    He conveyed the sympathy of the government and people of the state on the disaster, stating that the government would work closely with the bank and other stakeholders to ensure the successful management of the ugly incident.

    State Controller of the CBN in Calabar, Dr Graham Kalio, said the explosion ocurred suddenly in the Banking hall with its attendant destructive effects resonating across the building.

    He said affected staff have been taken for treatment at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) and Navy Hospital Calabar.

    Men of the Police, Army, Navy, Civil Defence and other paramilitary organisations were drafted to the scene.

    At the gate of the bank, relatives of staff were seen crying. They demanded to see relatives working in the bank.

    Officials of the bank refused to comment. “We are traumatised right now. No one can talk,” one of them said.

    The Commissioner of Police, Henry Faidairo inspected the scene.

    The Acting Inspector General of Police, Zone 6, Calabar, Baba-Adisa Bolanta, who also inspected the scene, said the explosion was suspected to be from gas from the central air-conditioning unit.

  • Updated: Several feared dead as explosion rocks CBN in Calabar

    Updated: Several feared dead as explosion rocks CBN in Calabar

    Several people were feared dead in an explosion that rocked the office of the Central Bank in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Friday at about 12.30pm.

    Unconfirmed source said about 10 people were killed and over 30 injured in the incident.

    It was gathered that it was a gas explosion.

    Initial fears were that it was a bomb blast.

    At the scene of the incident, the road where the bank is situated was cordoned off to pedestrians and vehicles.

    There were fire trucks in the premises of the bank and ambulances were coming in and out, conveying casualties.

    There were shattered glasses everywhere and parts of the main bank building were damaged.

    Men of the Police, Army, Navy, Civil Defence and other paramilitary organizations were drafted to scene.

    At the gate of the bank relatives of staff were seen crying. They demanded to see their relatives working in the bank.

    Officials of the bank refused to comment. “We are traumatized right now. No one can talk,” one of them said.

    The Commissioner of Police, Henry Faidairo inspected the scene.

    The Acting Inspector General of Police, Zone 6, Calabar, Baba-Adisa Bolanta, who also inspected the scene, said the explosion was suspected to be from gas from the central air-conditioning unit.

    “This is just an initial assessment, and it is not confirmed yet. It is when a final result has been given that we will confirm what really happened,” he said.

  • Two siblings hospitalized over kerosene explosion in Edo

    Two siblings hospitalized over kerosene explosion in Edo

    Two siblings have been hospitalized at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) after they were severely burnt by kerosene explosion.

    Both victims who are 13 years old boy, Moses Mighty and his sister, Iyegbekosa have been admitted at the Accident and Emergency ward of the hospital.

    The incident occurred at their family residence at Urhonigbe town in Orhionmwon local government area of Edo State.

    Mother of the victims, Mrs Eke John, said the explosion occurred when Moses was trying to pour kerosene into a lantern.

    Mrs. Eke said she saw her children on fire when she ran into the house to rescue them.

    She noted that her children would have been dead if not prompt intervention by neighbours.

    She said the kerosene was bought from a hawker who brings the product from Agbor town in Delta State.

    The victims’ mother appealed for assistance to treat her son as his step father has stopped paying the medical bills.

    She explained that Moses’ father, Mr. Mighty, who hails from Calabar, Cross River State, disappeared after his birth.

    Moses a primary 5 pupil said it was sad that he could not resume school Monday.

  • Six die in Nnewi factory explosion, say police

    Six die in Nnewi factory explosion, say police

    Nnewi, Anambra State’s industrial city, was yesterday thrown into mourning following a gas explosion in a factory that left six people dead and others injured.

    The situation created panic in the city as people ran helter-skelter.

    The Christmas Eve fire broke out at the premises of a gas company, Inter Corp Oil Limited, a subsidiary of a leading firm, Chikason Group, after an explosion which reportedly occurred while a gas-laden truck was discharging its content.

    There is controversy over the fatalities as an eyewitness who spoke to our reporter on telephone claimed that he saw more than 20 bodies.

     Another eyewitness, who is a local reporter insisted that about 100 people – workers in the factory and customers – died in the fire.

    The police and the Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) also had different figures.

    The Vice Chairman of the NRC in Anambra State, Prof. Peter Kathy, said four bodies were taken to the hospital. He said scores were injured.

    But Police Commissioner Hosea Karma said six died and six injured.

    According to him, four of the injured who had serious injuries were transferred to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital.

    The police said the dead were customers, adding that no employee of the firm died.

    But an  eye witness, Zico Prince who insited that no fewer than 20 died, said many customers were at the place at the time of the incident “because the company will not open tomorrow (today)”.

    He said the Fire Service in Nnewi did not have water to fight the fire when it was contacted.

    “They called Awka and Onitsha to rescue them,” Prince added.

  • Boko Haram explosion victim Baby Aishat gets reconstructive surgery

    Boko Haram explosion victim Baby Aishat gets reconstructive surgery

    Local and international plastic surgeons have carried out a successful reconstructive surgery on Baby Aishat Ibrahim, the victim of a Boko Haram bomb explosion, whose predicament caught the attention of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, during a visit to Borno State on July 1.

    Speaking with reporters yesterday at the National Hospital, Abuja, after the Vice President paid an unscheduled visit to check on the recovery status of the baby who was operated upon on Saturday, Prof. Ferdinand Ofodile, the US-based surgeon who led the four-hour surgery, said the operation was successful.

    Ofodile said: “We reconstructed her eyelids by adding flesh from the thigh, and we also did a skin graft to the left arm, freeing it, from its attachment at the armpit caused by the explosion.”

    He said Aishat, who is now 14 months old, sustained extensive burns to the eye, the face and the chest. She also sustained injuries in the left arm and armpit “resulting in the arm being fixed to the body and eyelids destroyed.”

    Ofodile, who is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine from the top-rated Columbia University, New York, said it would take about six months for Aishat’s full recovery, but explained that if the eyelids were not reconstructed it could cause the outright loss of the eyes.

    “When I saw her on Friday, the upper lid was turned inside out. If this was not fixed, over time the eye itself would be lost due to unprotected exposure. So we saved the eyelids and globe by adding skin to the eye lids-upper and lower,” said Ofodile who led two other surgeons, Dr. Chubado Tahir from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where the Vice President met the baby for the first time in July and Dr. Cefas Nbaya of the National Hospital, Abuja.

    The US-based surgeon  saidthe team “released the armpit so Aishat can lift up her left arm and recover the full use of her shoulder”.

    He said further surgical operations would be done in the future to improve the baby’s conditions.

    Aishat’s parents, Mr.  and Mrs. Ibrahim Goni Lawani, who also spoke with the reporters yesterday thanked  Osinbajo who paid the cost of the operation.

    Lawani said of the many victims of Boko Haram, his family is privileged that “God touched the Vice President to help our child. We thank President Buhari and the VP, may God bless them and make them remained focussed on why God brought them to power.”

    According to Aishat’s mother, Mariam, “we are happy and relieved, the surgery went well.”

  • Ojuelegba explosion: I ran out naked, says victim

    Ojuelegba explosion: I ran out naked, says victim

    Some residents of Ajoke Dosunmu Street in Ojuelegba, Lagos are still scared to return home after an explosion from a fuel tanker razed five cars and a storey building on Saturday.

    Many occupants on the streets, The Nation learnt, are squatting with friends and families.

    The wife of the owner of the burnt storey-building, Mrs Rita Jinadu, who was admitted in a hospital, said she was asleep when the incident occurred.

    She said she perceived the fuel around 2am but slept, believing that nothing was going to happen.

    Her words: “When I perceived it, I was not comfortable because I don’t use generator in my house. Around 4am, I woke up to use the toilet and immediately, my husband and I saw fire. The fire came directly to our bedroom. We woke our children and ran out of the house. I was naked. It was a neighbour that clothed me. We watched our house burn from a distance.

    ‘’I wouldn’t have thought of this happening to me because I am at the remote side of the community. It is really pathetic. As I speak, we don’t have anything. My children’s certificates, everything went with the fire. I just collected N250,000 from my thrift collecting business but everything is gone. We were told the government instructed Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to take us to Igando but we don’t know what they have for us. Her son, Oluwashina Jinadu, pleaded with the government to assist them, adding that there is nothing they can do.

    He said:”We have been living here for 10 years. I can’t believe we lost everything in one day. My brother and I slept in a friends place while our parents slept in the hospital. We need help; we really do.”

    A resident, Matomi Lawal, said when he saw fire, he took his children to his mother’s place on the Island.

    He said: “It is still like magic. I couldn’t think straight. It was even after I took my children for safety I returned for my certificates. I thought my house would also burn. I thank the fire fighters.”

    Alhaji Fatai Aro, said he thought his life and his family members was going to end.

    “We were sleeping when a neighbour woke us. Our door was so stiff and so many things kept going through my mind. We couldn’t sleep. My wife and children went to her mother’s place while I waited behind. I have been using water to put out the remaining debris because smoke has not stopped coming out. It is really unfortunate. My mind is not at rest,” Aro said.

    David Alu, who sells printing materials said he lost about N350,000 to the fire adding: “I have nothing. I watched my shop go down. Today (Sunday), some people gave me print papers to sell. I need assistance so I can be on my feet again.”

    Another resident simply called Tawakalitu said she would no longer live in the house adding: “I can’t live here anymore because I am scared. I slept in my sister’s place.”

     

  • Petrol tanker explosion destroys houses, vehicles in Lagos

    Petrol tanker explosion destroys houses, vehicles in Lagos

    Properties worth millions of naira and houses were destroyed at dawn yesterday when a fuel tanker loaded with 30,000 litres of fuel fell on the Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos.

    Five cars and a storey building were burnt. However, no lives were lost.

    According to an eye witness who live in Barrack area, Uche Ohene, the inferno started at about 2am when the tanker fell on the bridge and the fuel began to leak through to the nearby canal that leads to Shitta.

    According to him, “We were all awake and watching and ready for any eventuality. We later saw a tongue of fire coming up from Shita area where a storey building, a car and some other houses were torched. The fire followed the fuel which went through the canal and to the bridge where the tanker was and there was a blast. Two mini buses and two Coaster buses were burnt beyond recognition.”

    Ohene applauded the effort of fire service and other security agencies which came in early to intervene and stop the fire from spreading and further damage.

    Speaking with reporters at the scene of the event, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, expressed displeasure over the state of some tankers and how dangerous they are to hapless citizens.

    He said, “We are not happy about the attitude of some tanker drivers who are fully aware of the state of their tankers but are indifferent and negligent in correcting the problem thereby exposing other motorists and road users to danger.”

    He urged tankers driver to be true to themselves and ensure that their vehicles are okay, “Lagosians will not continue to live under the mercy of tankers who are heartless and unconcerned about the safety of helpless Lagosians because of their selfish interest and we would encourage strict compliance on speed limit on their vehicles.”

    He applauded the prompt rescue effort of the police, LASEMA, LAWMA and fire service whose effort helped to curtail the effect of the inferno.

    Also, speaking at the scene, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Seye Oladejo said that the government will ensure strict compliance of the speed limit for tankers adding that a barricade will be built on bridges to restrict the tankers from using them.

    He added that the bridge was not safe for tanker drivers and that the state could not afford any other crash which has been recurring.

    Although there was speculation that the fallen truck was been towed, the special adviser to the Governor on Work, Olanrewaju Elegushi said that the truck was not been towed but was been driven when it fell.

    A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report quoted Mr. Rasak Fadipe, Director, Lagos State Fire Service, as saying that the tanker was ascending the Ojuelegba bridge, but rolled back and spilled its content on the road.

    He said that some of the spilled content went into a nearby canal in the area adding, ”When we came here at about 5.30a.m, we tried to dispense liquid foam into the manholes and canal to avoid fire outbreak. I had gone round to see the area affected by the spill. While going round, I met some men smoking Indian hemp along the canal.

    “I warned them against it, that it may result to fire outbreak. They disregarded my advice. It was not long after talking with them that the fire broke out from there. If we had not dispensed chemical foams into the canal, the whole of Barracks area in Surulere would have been burnt down. So far, no casualties, three persons were taken to hospital as a result of shock, ”Fadipe said.

    A resident of the area, Miss Wunmi Bolu, however, told NAN that the fire started at 4a.m, hours after the tanker fell at 2a.m.

    “It was when they were trying to tow the tanker that the chain broke and fuel started spilling,” she said, explaining that it later led to the fire.

    She said that some residents who were injured had been rushed to the Randle Hospital in Surulere for treatment.

    Another resident of the area, who identified himself as Mr. Matore, told NAN that his wife woke him up at about 2:30 am before the fire broke at 4am and had to relocate his children.

    “My wife woke me up at about 2:30a.m. and said she could smell fuel, so I came out and there were many of us outside trying to know what was going on.

    “When we thought everything was fine, we went back to sleep only for my wife to wake me up again at 4a.m that she could hear people shouting fire. I quickly got up and took my children to my sister’s place on the Island.”

    At the scene, fire fighters were present with four fire trucks, as the tanker, was later being taken off the bridge. According to NAN the fire damaged properties located on Allen, Akintan, Benson, Ajoke Dosumu streets within the vicinity as a result of the spilling of the fuel.

    At one of the affected buildings, three members of a family were taken to Randle General Hospital, Surulere, due to shock.

    A member of the family and a graduate of Microbiology, Mr. Olashina Jinadu, said his parents and one of his brothers were in the hospital due to shock.

    ”We were sleeping at about 5am when we heard a loud bang and people started shouting fire, fire. Everyone rushed down from upstairs. We could not salvage any property. The fire from the canal was blown against our building by the wind,” Jinadu said.

    Commercial activities, including transportation, were grounded for hours while firemen were trying to contain the spill and the fire.

    The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, said that no arrest was made and no death was recorded. He led a team of policemen from Area C to ensure that area boys did not loot homes.

    A lawmaker at the Lagos State House of Assembly (Surulere Constituency 1) Mr. Desmond Elliot, who was at the scene, lamented the situation.

    “The fire was serious to the extent that many patients on admission had to be evacuated from Igbaja Health Centre close to the scene to save their lives. I was sad that we lost a mother who lived at 53, Akintan St. as a result of shock. We have been talking about this in the Assembly, but I believe more enforcement needs to take place. This is a disaster. We will probably ask for serious measures on the floor of the house,” Eliot said.

    A resident of Makinde Street, Ojuelegba, Mr. Kayode Kadiri, urged government to seek lasting solutions to stop the perennial accidents of articulated vehicles along Ojuelegba area of the state.

    In September, a container-laden truck fell off the Ojuelegba bridge, destroying cars and killing three persons.