The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said 15 corpses, including a family of four, have been recovered from the scene of the explosion which occurred on March 15 at Abule Ado, Trade Fair axis of Lagos State.
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Over 60 students of Bethlehem Girls College located within the area, whose building collapsed with some school girls trapped in, also sustained various degrees of injury in the incident.
The corpses and the survivors were taken to the Nigerian Navy Hospital in Ojo Cantonment.
Acting Coordinator of NEMA in Lagos, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, told the News Agency of Nigeria that;
A couple and their two sons were caught by the explosion on their way to church around 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Farinloye said over 50 buildings, including Bethlehem Girls College and a popular hotel, were damaged in the explosion.
He explained that;
The resulting fire later spread to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation oil pipeline passing through the area even though the pipeline had been shut down as a precautionary measure.
The fire was eventually extinguished about 3.30 p.m. through the combined efforts of officials of the Lagos State Fire Service, Federal Fire Service, and Nigerian Navy Fire Tender.
Also, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, Staff Officer, Western Naval Command, told newsmen that the “students were stabilised at the Navy Hospital, adding that those who have fully recovered would be discharged soon.”
Daji said although the cause of the incident was still unknown, some residents of the area told security operatives that there were many industrial gas cylinders close to where the explosion occurred.
Rear Admiral Oladele Daji expressed that the Nigerian Navy in collaboration with other security agencies had cleared the pipeline right of way across Lagos State.
He added that the government should revoke the Certificate of Occupancy of houses sited very close to pipelines.
See photos of explosion below:
