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Oil pipeline explosion claims 3 in Niger Delta

Published

8 years ago

March 29, 2016

Oil pipeline explosion claims 3 in Niger Delta

An environmental group reports that three people have lost their lives following an oil pipeline explosion which occurred during repairs of a pipeline belonging to an Italian firm known as ENI.

According to the environmental group, the blast happened in the Olugboboro community in Bayelsa State on Sunday when workers were repairing the pipeline when it caught fire as casualties from the explosion were only recovered after the inferno was brought under control.

“The news of another tragic incident in the oil industry which claimed three lives … came to the Environmental Rights Action (ERA) as a great shock,” said Alagoa Morris, an activist at the group.

“We in ERA will not stop calling on the authorities and regulators of the oil industry to make safety and best practices the mantra of the industry, not just profit (seeking),” he said.

According to eyewitnesses and residents, several bodies had been burnt beyond recognition, while some who escaped with severe burns were taken to a nearby hospital.

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