Solenzo blog reported that the Cross
River Police Command has confirmed that nine
people died in a fire outbreakthat occurred at Linc Oil and Gas tank farm at around on Sunday monring.
But at the moment no fewer
that 15 persons have been reported dead and many others injured in the fire
incident at the tank farm in Calabar Free Trade Zone (CFTZ), Calabar, Cross River
State by the Guardian.
Incident occurred when a vessel was supplying Premium Motor
Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to two of the tank farms around 2:00 a.m.
The
eyewitness said the ship was on the river supplying the product through pipes
that passed through the premises of the tank farms about 700 metres away.
He said:
“While supplying was going on, a member of staff of one of the tank farms, who
was not on duty that night, opened the pipes inside their premises to siphon
petrol but pressure from the pipe knocked him down and he died on the spot.
“The petrol
now flowing in huge quantities filled the premises and flowed through gutters
back into the river and into the Esuk Utan community and this was around 4:00
a.m. Due to the strong fumes of the petrol, some members of the community woke
up to realise that petrol was flowing through their gutters and decided to
scoop the product for themselves.
“There must
have been a spark which set off a fire and killed six of them on the spot. The
fire followed the petrol through the gutters back to the vessel that supplied it
but the men on board managed to stop the fire from engulfing the vessel, using
sophisticated fire-fighting equipment.”
However, a
fishing settlement on the waterfront nearby was not so lucky as “the
settlement, which also serves as a fish market, was razed and seven people, who
lived there, lost their lives and many wooden canoes and engine boats were
caught in the inferno.
Three
vessels in the adjoining Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) were also affected by
the fire, including the tank farm where the problem started but it was also
checked by the sophisticated fire-fighting equipment in the premises.
Another
eyewitness, a member of staff of one of the tank farms, who pleaded anonymity,
said: “Almost 13 people that we have been able to confirm have died. So, many
have severe injuries and have been rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile,
the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa, who confirmed the incident,
said that nine people died. He added that several other persons, who sustained
injuries, were currently being treated in one of the hospitals in Calabar.
According to
him, the manager of the depot is yet to brief the police on what led to the
explosion. “Up till now, nobody has come out to tell us what caused the fire
outbreak.
“We have
gone round, we have done what we can do but investigation will later reveal
what actually led to the explosion,” he said.
The
Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Itaya Nyong, who was at the scene and
apparently not happy with the unfortunate incident, said: “The culprits will be
brought to book. The fire was as a result of the activities of criminal
elements.”
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