ONE person has been killed and many others injured in a gas explosion that occurred in Ajuwon area of Ogun State.
No fewer than four houses were burnt, along with several vehicles, in the explosion that rocked the area on Thursday, eyewitnesses said.
“We were all scared when we heard that loud sound, believing it was another bomb blast. Later, we realised it was a gas explosion from a tanker. We also learnt that one person was killed while others sustained injuries. A rescue team has arrived and are battling the fire as we speak,” a resident of the area, Tokunbo Afolabi, told The Point.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Agency, Nosa Okunbor, while confirming the development, said his team rushed to the scene upon several calls from residents.
He linked the incident to a truck, which had exploded after a lone accident.
He said, “On arrival at the scene, it was observed that there was a gas explosion. Further investigation revealed that a truck had a lone accident and exploded.
“The impact of the explosion affected adjoining buildings and several vehicles were burnt. Several persons were injured and have been taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.
“The inferno is being tackled by the combined efforts of the LASEMA Response Team led by the Director Operations, LRU Fire, LASG Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force, and NSCDC. Dampening down is ongoing”
“No one has accessed the site to ascertain the number of casualty. All we know for sure is that some people were at the site when the explosion occured,” another eye witness, Ireti Balogun, said.
“We all just heard a big bang around this evening. The explosion was massive and like I said we are not sure of the casualties, but many people were injured,” she added.
