A dozen persons have lost their lives in a crude oil explosion that happened in the early hours of Friday in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS), which provides information on oil spillages, said the incident happened at about 2:am in Rumuekpe community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State after one of the buses loaded with crude oil caught fire on its way to the refinery.
The explosion left dozens, including those that were at the tapping point, dead. The victims were burnt beyond recognition, with many vehicles and tricycles destroyed. The tapping point was on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline (TNP) that passes through the community.
At the time of the incident, eyewitnesses confirmed that men of the Nigerian Army and the police were at the scene of the incident.
Experts have raised eyebrows regarding the logistics involved in crude oil transportation in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, blaming inadequate safety measures as a major reason.
Another reason for frequent occurences of fire incidents in the area is oil theft.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says Nigeria loses 470,000 barrels per day to oil thieves.
The NNPC estimates that $700million worth of crude oil is lost to oil theft monthly.
Oil thieves break pipelines, steal oil and sell to local and international merchants, according to findings.