No fewer than five persons, including a six months old baby, were yesterday rescued in a gas explosion in a Lagos community.
The victims, Jubril Anjola, six months old; his mother Joy Anjola; his grand uncle, Monsuru Anjola; a motorcyclist, John Ejeobi, and Kamoru Basiru, were said to have been injured. They were rushed to nearby Afolabi Hospital.
The incident, which occurred at 88, Oworo Road, by L and K bus stop, Oworonsoki, was said to have been caused by the gas compressor of a freezer kept in a beer parlour.
Five other shops in the residential area partially collapsed as a result of the explosion. The perimeter fence of a nearby hotel also broke down.
The explosion, it was learnt, uprooted the iron gate fixed at the entrance of the bungalow and threw it on the other side of the road, smashing the glass doors and windows of a boutique.
It was gathered that the baby and his mother were in front of their home when the incident occurred.
According to eyewitnesses, the baby was bleeding through his nose. His face was reddish; his mother allegedly sustained a leg injury and his grand uncle had cuts on his head and body.
Basiru, who is also a resident was said to have been retuening home, but fell as a result of the pressure of the explosion.
One of the residents, John, said that the incident was massive because wines and assorted carbonated drinks were stored in the beer parlour.
“The incident occurred around 1pm, I think it was caused by the freezer. At first many people thought it was probably a bomb explosion and people were running.
‘No one died. Those who were injured have been taken to the hospital, the baby was initially taken to Afolabi Hospital but the state government people have carried him away.
“About five shops were outside this place; they have collapsed. Even the fence in this hotel collapsed.
“The situation would have been worst if this joint and other shops were opened. Imagine the number of people that would have been affected.
“No one died. But I know that an Okada man who was passing by fell off his bike too, and sprained his ankle,” he said.
At the time of filing this story, policemen from the Anti-bomb unit and Rapid Response Squad (RRS), officials of the Lagos State Fire Service, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as well as Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were at the scene to ensure the explosion did not escalate.
A crowd gathered around the scene of the explosion, impeding emergency response.
Fire Service Director, Rasaq Fadipe, and the Southwest spokesman for NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed the incident.
Although preliminary investigation indicated that it was a gas explosion, Fadipe said he requested for the anti-bomb personnel so that a thorough investigation could be conducted.
He said there was no massive fire, adding that the Ilupeju fire truck responded promptly.
Fadipe added that the agency responded to five other fire calls between Friday and Saturday, urging Lagos residents to be cautious in using electrical appliances.
LASEMA’s General Manager Micheal Akindele said the cause of the incident was chemical explosion.
He said: “The vibration from the explosion shattered the window glasses of adjacent buildings.
The agency received the distress call around 1:12pm, and immediately activated its emergency response team.
“Three adults were rescued alive but with minor injuries, they were taken to nearest hospital (Afolabi hospital) for treatment.
“A six months old baby boy also survived the explosion and was taken to intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTHA) by Lasambus.”
