Nigeria: Pipeline Fire Kills 100 in Lagos Suburb
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Friday, 16 May 2008 |
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At least 100 people have been killed and 40 others were injured in fire
and stampede resulting from an explosion of a petroleum products
pipeline at a residential area of Nigeria's business capital in the
south-west Lagos, media reports quoting the local Red Cross
said.
The fire began when an excavator used for a road expansion
project of the Lagos State government broke the pipeline that cut
through the Ijegun suburb, engulfing schools and homes. It was followed
by a heavy explosion, said Moyo Anibaba, the head of the Lagos
state-owned ambulance services.
Most of the victims succumbed to injuries while trying to escape a
stampede. At least 35 houses in the neighborhood and several vehicles
were burnt in the flames.
The
fire could rage for another 24 hours because the fuel was gushing out in large
volumes, said Abdullahi Mohammed, an official of the National Emergency
Management Agency.
Nigeria is one of the world's major oil producers with one of the most vulnerable security systems to protect it from risks.
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