At least one hundred people died this Saturday in a fire at an illegal oil refinery in the state of Imo, in southeastern Nigeria, a police spokesman told Efe.
“The fire has killed at least a hundred people,” Imo State Police spokesman Michael Abattan said in a telephone conversation. “In addition, several people were injured and have been taken to a nearby hospital,” Abattan added.
According to this spokesman, the fire started at around 12:00 local time (11:00 GMT) and quickly spread to two fuel storage areas located in the illegal crude oil refinery, causing the complex to “engulf in rapidly spreading flames” within the area, said Declan Emelumba, Imo State Information Commissioner.
T he explosion has also destroyed six vehicles and caused widespread panic in the area, according to the Nigerian daily Punch in its digital edition.
The police have come to the scene of the incident to establish the causes of the fire, which are still unknown.
Another 150 people were reportedly injured, according to sources in the Nigerian daily Post.
A special envoy from the Punch visited the site this Saturday and assured that he saw no less than 50 bodies burned to the point of being unrecognizable.
“A lot of people died. The people who died are all illegal operators,” said Michael Abattam, spokesman for the Imo State Police Command.
Imo State Oil Resources Commissioner Goodluck Opiah has explained that the regional government has declared a search and capture of the owner of the illegal refinery, which it has identified as Okenze Onyenwoke.
The Nigerian Government had on numerous occasions warned of the danger posed by the opening of illegal refineries to both the people working there and the environment.
The oil sector in Nigeria - Africa's leading producer of crude oil - has been the target of harsh criticism from local communities, who denounce great environmental damage caused by their activities for years, especially in the south of the country.
Nigeria is the largest producer of crude oil in Africa, but it has very few refineries and, as a result, most gasoline and other fuels are imported.
With information from EFE and EuropaPress
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