At least ten persons were feared dead in Oyibo local Government Area of Rivers state following an explosion in a Shell pipeline in the area.
The incident reportedly occurred in Kom Kom community of the LGA, around noon on Saturday.
According to sources close to the scene said that the explosion sparked off fire, which supposedly burnt the victims.
The Police confirmed the incident but could not ascertain the actual number of casualty.
It was learnt the incident occurred when workers of a company were carrying out repair work in one of the pipelines at Kom Kom in Oyigbo.
Spokesman of the Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told reporters: “It is true that there was pipeline explosion in Kom Kom area of Oyibo LGA but we cannot ascertain the number of casualties now, but our men are there to calm the situation and do the necessities.”
He said the Command has commenced full scale investigation on the incident.
Chairman of the council, Gerald Oforji confirmed the incident and put the number of lives lost at 10.
Oforji said the bodies of the victims were recovered from the scene after the fire was put out.
He said that no house was destroyed when the explosion occurred.
However, the Spokesman of Shell, Bamidele Oladosu, was reported to have denied any report of explosion on the company’s Oyigboland facility.
A resident of the area, Jude Nwanma said residents of Izuoma where the incident occurred were woken up today by a very loud explosion on a pipeline apperently operated by Shell in the area.
Shell is the only oil and gas firm operating in Oyigboland and even supply has to the Power Holding facilities in the area.
Nwanma said more than 10 persons might have lost their lives in the explosion.
He said that the explosion caused pandemonium in the area just as residents scampered to safety.
“It was later I learnt that the explosion occurred in one of the pipelines I suspected to be fuel pipeline and that more than 10 persons lost their lives in the incident,” he said.