At about 3:05 pm on Thursday, a gas tanker which was trying to enter Cerato Gas Plant located in Iju suddenly went up in flames.
According to Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, acting Zonal Coordinator (NEMA), 44 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident.
Meanwhile, more than 30 of them had been discharged after treatment.
Farinloye debunked the claim that three persons including the truck driver died in the incident, adding that impact assessment by NEMA and other rescue agencies had shown that there was no fatality yet.
He said, ‘From our assessment, the total number of persons injured in the incident is 44.’
‘Seventy-five traders plying their trade within the area and 36 residential houses comprising 56 households were affected by the inferno.’
Six churches, four mosques, 26 vehicles, two gas tankers, two tricycles, and 11 electric poles were destroyed in the explosion.
The explosion caused panic among the residents and business owners in Iju area and environs.
However, the fire was extinguished through combined efforts of emergency responders including NEMA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Fire Service, the Police, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
