The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) disclosed on Sunday that two bodies had been recovered from the explosion site of a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline at Ile Epo axis (near Abule Egba) of Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The Acting Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office of NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The raging fire caused panic among the residents of Abule Egba, Ile Epo and Ekoro Road due to the thick smoke which billowed from the scene.
Farinloye said several buildings and articulated vehicles were affected by the inferno, which occurred on Sunday night.
He said the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, adding however that emergency response was immediately activated following distress calls received from some residents of the area.
“NEMA and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) officials are here. The Lagos State Fire Service officials are here trying to put out the fire.
“We have contacted NNPC to shut down the pipelines, and so far we have been able to recover two bodies,” Farinloye said.
The Director General of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, also confirmed the incident in a statement thus:
“A raging fire from the explosion of a vandalised NNPC pipeline has caused panic among residents within Awori, U-turn and Pipeline communities in Abule Egba.
“LASEMA, Lagos Fire Service are responding and are on top of the situation,” he said.
A similar incident had occurred on December 5, 2019, when some suspected pipeline vandals disrupted the Atlas Cove-Mosinmi Pipeline, part of the System 2B Pipeline at Peace Estate, Varies, in Idimu axis of the state.