Dec. 27, 2023

Over 20 persons were feared killed in a crude oil explosion in a community in Rivers State.

The incident occurred over the weekend at a waterside in Omoku, the headquarters of the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area, one of the oil and gas hubs in the oil-rich South-South state.

Those who sustained degrees of burns were said to be on admission at various hospitals in the town.

Channels Television reports that, as of the time of filing this report, there was no accurate account of the cause of the explosion and the number of casualties.

While a youth leader in the community said the explosion happened while the artisans were distributing stolen crude in containers for themselves, a journalist in the area said the boys were believed to be tapping the crude of an underground pipe when it exploded.