ZCZC
BFF-08
DEATH-TOLL-NIGERIA-PIPELINE-EXPLOSION
Death toll of Nigeria pipeline explosion rises to 24
ABUJA, Oct. 14, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – Death toll has risen to 24 following a
petrol pipeline explosion in Osisioma local government area of Abia State in
southern Nigeria, local police said on Saturday.
Abia police chief Anthony Ogbizi said five more deaths were recorded as
victims who had various degrees of burns battled for survival following the
explosion in two villages of the state on Friday.
Ogbizi blamed the explosion on a spillage from a pipeline that was
undergoing maintenance, saying further investigation had been launched on the
incident.
On Friday, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps accused some
youths in the area of scooping petroleum products from vandalized pipelines.
The past few years had witnessed a string of pipeline explosions in
Nigeria. Some of such incidents happened as locals tried to siphon fuel from
the pipelines.
According to reports, at least 150 people were killed in a pipeline
explosion on May 12, 2006, in a village to the east of Lagos, the country’s
economic hub, while locals were drilling into it.
BSS/Xinhua/MSY/0843 Hrs