Scores of people were in the early hours of Friday morning killed when an explosion occurred at an illegal crude oil bunkering site at Rumuekpe Community in Emohua local government area of Rivers State.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the incident occurred at about 2:00am at a tapping point on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline (TNP) which passed through the community.
A spark came from a bus loaded with crude oil for transportation to the refining point, a development that resulted into fire and explosion.
Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, said the victims, including women were burnt beyond recognition.
Fyneface said: “The explosion and fire which has left dozens including women dead and burnt beyond recognition with many other vehicles and tricycles burnt to ashes at the tapping point said to be on the Trans Niger Delta Pipeline (TNP) that passed through the community.
“All those who were at the exact tapping point in the “pit” got killed while some of those who had loaded the crude and waiting to load including women have been killed by the explosion.
“Advocacy Centre can confirm from the eyewitness information and other sources that confirmed the incident at the community that men of the Nigeria Armed Forces are already at the scene of the incident with the Police said to be on the way to the scene making it difficult for photographs and videos to be taken.”
The Rivers State Police Command was yet to issue any statement on the ugly incident.
