Published on : 24/04/2022 – 22:00
An explosion at a clandestine refinery has killed at least 110 people in the oil region of the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, already devastated by decades of vandalism and illegal exploitation of hydrocarbons.
The explosion occurred on Friday evening April 22 at an illegal site between the oil states of Rivers and Imo, according to police and emergency services. “ The new death toll is now 110, down from 80 in the previous one, as several severely burned people succumbed to their injuries “, told AFP Ifeanyi Nnaji, a local official of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
« We learned that many bodies were in the surrounding bush and forests “, he added, specifying that several charred vehicles and jerry cans littered the ground blackened with oil.
Police confirmed the blast took place at the site of an illegal refinery where operators and their customers had gathered to engage in trafficking. ” Several burnt bodies, unrecognizable, lie on the ground, while others, who tried to run away, hang from the branches of the trees “, also testified Fyneface Dumnamene, director of the NGO Youths and Environmental Advocacy Center (YEAC).
There were human beings burnt beyond recognition. It was hard for me to bear what I saw at the scene of the explosion. There were dead bodies literally everywhere. What terrified me the most was seeing that pregnant woman burned. It was terrible to see. Some ran to the Orashi River to save their lives but drowned. This explains the large number of deaths.
Nnaji Ifeanyi, Chief Operating Officer of NEMA Office, the National Emergency Management Agency
Long series of similar explosions
Some local media have reported more than 100 killed, mostly young people, in this explosion which is the latest in a long series in Nigeria, where this type of tragedy is frequent.
President Muhammadu Buhari referred to “ a national disaster “, in a declaration published by its services. He also called on law enforcement to step up crackdowns on clandestine refineries.
An investigation has been launched to determine what caused the explosion on Friday, the head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Idris Musa, told AFP. ” Investigations are ongoing and the fire that raged following the explosion has died down “, he specified.
The owner of the illegal refinery is particularly wanted.
with agencies