Many Injured, houses destroyed as Gas Pipeline Explodes in Rivers

Many people sustained injuries while buildings got damaged in an explosion involving a gas pipeline in Aleto community, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Thursday.

Residents told Daily Trust that the pipeline, reportedly belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), erupted in flames shortly after 2pm.

They said several residents who sustained injuries while fleeing the scene had been taken to hospitals for emergency treatment.

The fire was still raging as of the time of filing this report, although no fatalities had been confirmed.

The Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday evening, saying the organisation had deployed volunteers to the area to assist with rescue efforts and independently verify the incident.

“The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) can now independently confirm an explosion at Aleto in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State,” he said.

“The incident, which is currently ongoing, has reportedly affected surrounding buildings, with some residents allegedly hospitalised as a result of its impact. As of the time of this statement, YEAC-Nigeria has not independently confirmed any fatalities.”

Fyneface said volunteers who visited the scene confirmed the presence of officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He added that the cause of the incident remained unclear, although preliminary reports had attributed it to a pipeline rupture allegedly caused by equipment failure at a facility said to belong to NNPC Ltd.

YEAC-Nigeria called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to identify the operator of the affected facility and conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to establish the cause of the incident.

The organisation also urged the agency to invoke relevant provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, where applicable.

When contacted, the Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, ASP Agabe Blessing Kaborlo, said she was not aware of the incident but requested a text message to enable her to make enquiries and respond.

She had yet to provide an update as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, the NSCDC spokesperson, Mr Ihemnacho Umeado, said he would make enquiries and get back to our correspondent but had not done so as of the time of filing this report.