No fewer than 20 persons died while houses and properties were burnt to ashes following a gas explosion at Osadebe Gas plant in Agbor, the headquarters of the Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.
SaharaReporters learnt that the incident, which occurred Friday evening, also left several persons with life-threatening degrees of body burns.
The victims are currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Asaba and the University Of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State.
Speaking with our correspondent, an eyewitness disclosed that there was a fire outbreak at the Osadebe Gas plant along the Benin Asaba expressway, adding that as the inferno raged, persons and houses around the vicinity were caught up and burnt to ashes – some beyond recognition.
“The situation was terrible and beyond everyone. Before our eyes, people and houses were being roasted like animals. However, some of the victims we rescued died on the way as they were being taken to the Central Hospital, Agbor, while the fire service people were also on the ground.
“Some of the victims who were successfully taken to the Central Hospital, Agbor lost their lives because there were no doctors and nurses to attend to them. It was a black Friday for us As we talk, some of the victims that were later rushed to the hospital are being attended to now, but no one has been able to know the actual cause of the explosion.”
The state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, the Secretary to the State Government, Chiedu Ebie, and the member representing the Ika South constituency in the state House of Assembly, Festus Okoh, and other top government functionaries have visited the scene of the incident as well as the hospitals to see some of the victims.
