Explosion Rocks Ibadan

An explosion at a gas refilling plant at Orita-Challenge  area of Ibadan on Monday injured four persons while two vehicles  and a motorcycle were burnt.

The explosion, which occurred at the premises of  Hephzibah Petroleum Limited and Gas  Refilling Plant, happened  at about 3. p.m. when a mobile tanker was transloading  gas into a stationary tank.

The News Agency of  Nigeria (NAN) reports that one of the burnt vehicles was a Passat  car marked PH 381 KJA while the other was a commercial cab with registration number AL  461 AKN.

The burnt motorcycle was  marked GBY 278 QB.

The spokesperson of the police in Oyo State, Mrs Bisi Clet-Ilobanafor, told newsmen at the scene of the incident that those injured were  passersby  outside the premises of the company.

Clet-Ilobanafor, who could not confirm the cause of the explosion, however, said the wind may have blown the flames beyond the walls of the company.

The police spokesperson, who said the injured victims had been evacuated to LAD  Hospital at Orita-Challenge, urged residents to remain calm as the incident was a mere industrial accident and not a bomb explosion.

One of the victims, Oyelami Mufutau, said he  escaped death by divine intervention as he was rescued from the burning vehicle by passersby.

 

 

The remaining victims—Muili Ahmed, Ismail Raji and Paul Sunday—all expressed gratitude to God for saving  their lives.