The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has explained the cause of the Sunday morning blast that occurred in the Abule Ado area of Lagos.
It said the explosion was caused by a truck that hit some gas cylinders stacked up in a plant in the area.
The NNPC made the disclosure through a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Kennie Obateru.
Following the blast and the resultant inferno, several students of the nearby Bethlehem Girls College and residents of the area were trapped in buildings as the impact shook the immediate vicinity and nearby places.
The NNPC said on Sunday that the incident occurred when a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant located near the corporation’s system 2B Pipeline Right of Way.
As soon as the incident occurred, the Corporation said, it quickly halted ongoing pumping operations on the Atlas Cove-Mosimi pipeline, which was active at the time.
Obateru noted, however, that the temporary shutdown of the critical System 2B pipeline would not affect the supply of petrol across the country.
He disclosed that the NNPC had already mobilized its in-house team consisting of health, safety and environment experts, medical and security personnel from its nearby Satellite Depot in Lagos, even as Lagos State Fire Service was also rallied to put out the blaze.
The statement added that more fire firefighting personnel and equipment were mobillised from the NNPC Mosimi Area Office to provide extra fillip to the ongoing operation.
According to him, preliminary findings indicate that the impact of the explosion was so huge that it led to the collapse of nearby houses. He also said that the explosion damaged a segment of the NNPC pipeline.
The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, and other top management of the arrived the scene evening for an on-the-spot assessment of the incident.
In condoling with victims of the blast, the statement said: “The NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, commiserated with the victims of the incident, praying that God provides them succor at this hour,” the statement said.
While assuring the public and residents of the affected communities to remain calm, the NNPC explained that the temporary shutdown of the petroleum products pipeline would not affect the normal supply of products to the Lagos and its environs.
Neither the NNPC nor the fire service and the police have provided a figure on the casualty from the fire.
But there were unconfirmed report that at least 15 persons died in the blast, while about 23 were taken to the nearby Navy Hospital following injury.