Petrol jetty explodes, four feared dead

 

At least four persons reportedly died in an early morning explosion on Monday when an inferno rocked a petroleum jetty in Apapa, Lagos.

The jetty, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, belongs to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

Our correspondent gathered that the inferno started around 3:00 a.m. when a petroleum vessel was discharging fuel at the jetty.

The NNPC, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ndu Ughamadu, confirmed the explosion.

Although sources said four persons died in the incident, the NNPC did not confirm the number of casualties.

Mr. Ughamadu, however, assured Nigerians of the availability of petroleum products nationwide, adding that the explosion would not affect supply of petroleum products across the country.

The statement attributed the explosion to activities of hoodlums who were allegedly scooping spilled fuel from ships discharging fuel at the jetty.

The corporation added that it had deployed a team of engineers to the jetty, adding that repair works would commence on the affected parts immediately.