At least 100 people died in an explosion at a secret oil refinery in southern Nigeria, an area plagued by decades of vandalism and illegal hydrocarbon exploitation.
The blast occurred Friday night at an undisclosed location between southern oil states of Rivers and Imo, police said.
“The fire occurred at an illegal facility and affected more than 100 people,” said State Petroleum Resources Commissioner Goodluck Opiah.
Witnesses report that the blast site is littered with charred vehicles and barrels used to transport the stolen oil.
An investigation has been launched to determine what caused Friday’s blast, Idris Musa, head of the National Oil Transfer Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), told AFP.
“The investigation is ongoing and the fire that broke out after the explosion has been partially brought under control,” he said.
Out there
This is the latest in a long line of incidents in this country, Africa’s largest oil producer, where such accidents are common.
In the Niger Delta oil region, criminals from some local communities routinely destroy pipelines to transport and steal oil, which is refined in undisclosed locations for eventual sale on the black market.
The majority of residents live in extreme poverty, despite the millions of dollars generated in the region, which produces around two million barrels a day.
Nigeria derives 90% of its national revenue from oil exports.
According to formal sector sources, the country loses about 200,000 barrels of oil every day through vandalism, theft and illegal oil transfer.
But residents of the region accuse the big oil companies of having contributed to the pollution of the area without participating in its development.
Decades of incidents have devastated mangroves and entire villages where fishing and farming provided local income for survival.
The worst oil pipeline explosion in Nigeria occurred in October 1998 in the southern town of Jesse, killing more than a thousand residents.