Port Harcourt gas explosion: Govt authorities join rescue effort with financial support

…As 3 feared dead, 17 injured

Government officials have joined rescue efforts at the liquified petroleum gas (LPG) fire incident where three persons are feared dead but over 17 injured.

Eye witnesses have opened up on what led to the incident.

The Obio/Akpor Local Council Chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo, has moved funds (N3m) to the hospital to support effective medical attention to rescue victims and has banned refilling of cooking gas at residential areas.

The chairman made the N3m donation on Monday, January 6, 2025. The explosion took place at the Oroazi axis of the local council areas at a facility popularly called Big Tree.

Ihunwo, a youth ambassador and until his emergence as LGA boss, was the Rivers State chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) made the deposit during a visit to some of the victims of the explosion in a private hospital. He immediately placed ban on gas refilling business within residential areas in the LGA.

Over 20 persons, including children were severely injured in a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) explosion that occurred at the weekend.

Eyewitnesses said that the explosion occurred in the afternoon at a lpg/cooking gas retail shop with some passersby affected by the fire that rapidly spread across nearby shops and houses.

A relative of some of the victims who pleaded anonymity revealed that the owner of the gas retailing shop was also conducting welding activities at the site.

The visibly distraught man said that his sister-in-law, the husband, and their two children were among those affected by the explosion.

He said: “I was called because my sister-in-law and her husband were involved. I was eating before they called me. When my wife picked the call her countenance changed immediately. I asked her what happened, she said that her sister was in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, fire incident ward. I lost appetite immediately and started driving down to this place because I know the place perfectly well because it is my village.

“There’s somebody who refills gas there and is also doing welding work. He is known to weld these things and welding together perforated cylinders without safety procedures.

“So, as a result of that incident, gas exploded and affected the other cylinders inside and there was an explosion. My brother in-law and his family just came back from first service and wanted to branch there. That was how they joined the chorus.”

Another source in the area said most of the victims were passersby who were close to the gas refilling shop when the explosion occurred.

The source noted that the victims were immediately rushed to the Emergency Unit of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital for urgent attention.

During a visit to the scene of the gas explosion and to some victims at Sonabel hospital in Oroazi, Ihunwo who broke down expressed sadness over the incident describing it as not only pathetic but unfortunate.

He announced that the council would take over the bills of the victims and immediately released three million naira to the hospital for the treatment of the affected persons.

He said: “It’s quite unfortunate that this is happening this early in the new year. I am saddened because of the number of persons affected. I was briefed about this incident, and that is why I am here to sympathise with those who lost their loved ones.

“As a local government, we are going to foot the bills of those who are injured and receiving treatment at the hospital. As a responsive administration we cannot allow our people to suffer this alone. We share in their pains.”

He explained that to curb future occurrences he had to ban the gas refill business from residential areas of the LGA.

“Let me also announce it here and now that henceforth, no one is permitted to run a gas refilling business in residential areas within Obio/Akpor. To ensure that we put law breakers to check, I will be putting in place a special committee with the mandate to move into the various streets and roads to enforce compliance.

“I also enjoin CDC chairmen and youth leaders in the various communities to join this campaign so we can save lives and property of our people. Anyone caught defying this ban will be arrested and made to face the law,” he stated.

The Obio/Akpor local government chairman was joined by some of his aides and the chief security officer of the LGA, Chinwo Innocent.