Four more victims of last Thursday’s gas tanker explosion in Lagos State have died, increasing the death toll to nine.
The explosion occurred in the late hours of Thursday at Mobolaji Bank Anthony Maryland near Opic Plaza and Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja Lagos.
Daily Trust, on Saturday, reports that emergency officials were able to quell the fire which engulfed the plaza belonging to the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) housing a supermarket and a Chinese restaurant.
But in the early morning of Friday, three bodies were recovered while no fewer than 13 people were taken to the hospital.
Later in the day, two more victims died, increasing the toll to five while others were receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and the Gbagada General Hospital’s Burn section.
But about a week after, four more victims have died, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The Lagos State Territorial Coordinator of NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed that the four people died as of Wednesday, bringing the death toll to nine.
The explosion was said to have occurred as a result of the leakage from a truck that broke down on the road and was being fixed.
“Close investigation revealed that the leaking cooking gas from the truck was ignited by the exposed fire from the kitchen of the New Chinese restaurant inside OPIC Plaza.
“As a result of wind action, the whole area of OPIC structure was engulfed with fire,” the report by LASEMA revealed.
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