Share

Nine dead in Nigeria gas explosion: state governor

Nine people were killed and dozens more injured, some of them critically, in an explosion and fire at a gas filling station in central Nigeria, the state governor said on Tuesday.

The accident happened on Monday in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa state, 190km by road east of Abuja.

"At the moment, we have recorded nine deaths as against the large figures being speculated in the media," Nasarawa governor Tanko Almakura told reporters at the scene.

Of the injured the worst affected had been taken to Abuja for treatment for severe burns, he added.

Conflicting tolls of dead and injured are not unusual in Nigeria and getting corroboration of figures is often problematic.

President Muhammadu Buhari's office had earlier said "several" people were killed, without specifying numbers, while a senior road safety official told AFP three died.

"Two people were killed on the spot while one person later died in the hospital," said the member with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Thirty-two people were taken to hospital "with many of them in critical condition with severe burns", he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

An AFP photographer at the scene said many vehicles and some nearby houses were gutted in the inferno.

Firefighters alerted to the initial leak have said they were unable to prevent the blast, which witnesses said was the first of its kind in the city.

Households in Nigeria and wider West Africa rely on bottled gas for cooking but accidents caused by improper storage, refilling or lax safety procedures are commonplace.

Officials say the location of gas filling stations in residential areas is responsible for most accidents.

In one incident in 2015, nine people were killed in a blast in the southeastern town of Nnewi as they filled cooking gas cylinders on Christmas Eve.

Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdulallahi, the speaker of Nasarawa House of Assembly, said: "The station should be on the outskirts of the city.

"We are going to come with a law to stop this kind of business in the heart of the city," he told reporters.

Ghana's government last year promised a series of measures after a tanker carrying natural gas caught fire, triggering an explosion that killed seven and injured more than 130.

It was the ninth such incident in the country in three years.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 396 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 558 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE