Many persons, including a principal and students of one boarding school, Bethlehem school, all died in a gas explosion that set Abule-Ado area of FESTAC in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos state.
Over 50 buildings were reduced to rubbles throwing resident into confusion when a massive explosion rocked the area sending residents to scamper for safety while leaving others with various degree of injuries.
Accordingly, in the last two months, a similar incidence of explosion rocked Abule Egba leaving two persons dead while displacing over 300 residents.
Among the buildings affected by yesterday’s explosion was Bethlehem Catholic Girls’ High School, a boarding school in the area.
The principal, identified as Henrietta Alokha and some students lost their lives.
It was reported that the school was holding a morning mass when the incident broke out, throwing a student to look for safety in the process; many sustained various degree of injuries.
A family of four was also reported to have been trapped in the inferno where all lost their lives.
The official put the casualty at 15; other sources said it was over 24 persons.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) coordinator for the Southwest, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the explosion started a distant away from the pipeline.
It took the effort of the combined team of emergency responders like the Lagos state fire service, the state Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Fire Service, the Nigerian Navy Fire Tenders and similar bodies to contain the fire incident.
One of our correspondents counted seven bodies, wrapped in bags, which were moved into a waiting ambulance belonging to the Lagos State Medical Ambulance Service.
A resident, Kareem Alabi, said the death toll could be as high as 25, given the rate at which the fire spread.
Kareem Alabi, one of the eye witness said the casualties would be as high as 25 people gong by the way the inferno made the destruction.
He revealed he personally counted about 11 adult male bodies, five adult female and a female minor, saying over 50 houses and about six vehicles were lost to the fire.
Another resident, identified as, Nkechi Onuigbo, disclosed that worst hit was the students of the Bethlehem Girls High School who were trapped in their dormitory.
Lagos Government Technical was also badly affected, she said.
