Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State

Kerosene explosion has killed one person and left six others with burns at Immanuel Hospital in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.

Dr Joseph Frank-Briggs, the Operation’s Controller, Department of Petroleum Resources, Eket office, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket.
He said that the two families were involved in the incident which led to the death of a boy.
The incident happened at Ikot Udoma in Eket town.
“We can not say exactly what is responsible but we are suspecting that the kerosene must have been adulterated.
“Secondly we think may be in the process of refilling lantern with kerosene while the light is on could cause fire explosion, ” Frank-Briggs said.
He said that one person had been arrested in connection with the explosion.
The operation’s controller said that investigation was ongoing to ascertain the root cause of the explosion.
“It is very dangerous to peddle kerosene on the road side.
“We need to get the results of the analysis first and once that is done, we will swing into actions,” Frank-Briggs said.
He noted that when the results of the investigations were out, the department would know if the kerosene was adulterated.
Frank-Briggs warned consumers to desist from buying petroleum products from peddlers, to avoid further occurrence.
He said that the department was putting measure in place to ensure that peddlers were off the roads in the state.
Frank-Briggs added that the department was collaborating with Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to curb illegal operators of petroleum products in the state.

(NAN)