Auomide Awe
At least 43 people are feared dead after inhaling toxic fumes during an alleged illegal fuel siphoning operation at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area of Rivers State.
The incident reportedly occurred around midnight on Thursday when a large number of youths from neighbouring communities converged on the jetty in wooden boats to siphon petroleum products from an illegally connected pipeline tapping point.
Community sources said more than 200 youths were at the scene when the operation went awry, with several victims reportedly losing consciousness after being exposed to concentrated fumes.
Some of those affected were said to have fallen into the river and drowned, while others escaped with serious respiratory complications and were taken away for medical treatment.
Sources told TheCable that 37 of the deceased had been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others had yet to be identified. Several people were also said to be missing as of Thursday.
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident but said investigations were ongoing to establish what happened and determine the actual number of casualties.
The command’s spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, said the police were working to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The incident reportedly occurred during the illegal loading of petroleum products into waiting boats while a vessel was simultaneously receiving supplies from the pipeline.
Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, Fyneface Fyneface, said the victims allegedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline transporting petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals area through the Port Harcourt refinery corridor to export vessels.
Fyneface said the operation exposed the youths to highly concentrated fumes, resulting in multiple deaths and cases of severe respiratory distress.
According to him, the incident occurred at about 12am on Thursday, September 3, at Okari Jetty.
He described the development as another deadly consequence of illegal bunkering and urged operators of oil and gas facilities to tighten security around their infrastructure to prevent unauthorised access and tampering with pipelines.
YEAC-Nigeria also called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to conduct a joint investigation into the incident and establish the nature of the substance involved, the circumstances that led to the exposure and the actual number of casualties.
The agency further urged relevant authorities to strengthen surveillance around oil and gas infrastructure in the area to prevent similar incidents.
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
