Some residents of Abule Ado in Amuwo-Odofin LGA of Lagos State, have expressed sadness at ravaging effects of the oil pipeline explosion which occurred on Sunday morning.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the explosion occurred at about 9.00 a.m.
It killed at least 15 people and destroyed more than 70 buildings including schools, churches, hotels and warehouses.
Mr Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, has blamed the fire on gas leakage from activities around an oil pipeline.
One of the residents, Mr Japheth Okafor, told the NAN that he narrowly death from the explosion.
He said that an alarm raises by his boss alerted him and others to escape through a window.
“Before the explosion, the sky changed to white and we started perceiving gas odour; few minutes after, there was an explosion.
“My boss screamed and asked us to jump through the window.
“That was how we escaped this morning,’’ Okafor said.
Chief Solomon Ogbonna, the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Lagos State, called on the state government to conduct a thorough investigation into the explosion.
“The government must immediately do all that is necessary to avert a reoccurrence.
“I am calling on the Lagos State Government to investigate this and not dismiss it as a mere gas explosion.
“The damage is huge,’’ Ogbonna said.
A correspondent of NAN, who visited the scene, observed that the explosion blew off the roofs of numerous buildings both near and far from the scene.
The Bethlehem Girls School, owned by the Catholic Church, was reduced to rubbles.
A couple and a Catholic reverend sister were among those feared dead.
The impact of the explosion was felt kilometres away, as roofs and glass windows of some buildings in Festac Town were equally shattered by the explosion.
The spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed that 15 people were killed by the explosion.
However, Femi Oke-Osayintolu, Director-General of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), said the number of casualties could not also be ascertained yet.
Oke-Osanyintolu said the actual casualty figure would be released after investigation into the occurrence had been concluded.
“It is too early to ascertain the casualty figure.
“We have rescued some people but I can’t give you figure now,’’ he said.
Some eye witnesses said many people were rescued and taken to a hospital.
Emergency responders, including the federal and Lagos State fire services, the Red Cross, police, navy and army were still on ground at the time of this report.