Aleast 20 persons have suffered severe burns, including a pregnant woman and four children after a gas explosion in the Orazi axis of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
TheNewsGuru reports that the incident which occurred on Saturday afternoon, January 4, 2025 happened when a technician, at a gas refilling station was said to be fixing a faulty cylinder which led to its explosion, triggering other cylinders inside the shop.
It was further gathered that the resulting fire affected many of the victims including residents and some passers-by, as most of the occupants fled for their lives, even as firefighters who later arrived had a hectic time before putting out the inferno.
Victims who suffered severe burns were immediately rushed to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital in Port Harcourt.
A graphic video posted by an eyewitness shows some of the victims with severe burns.
A relative of one of the victims who did not want his name told newsmen that the owner of the shop has been selling gas for years now.
He said his in-law and her husband, who were affected in the explosion, were rushed to the hospital for treatment, lamenting that they have spent over N500,000 already.
“I was just called in the evening about the incident because my sister-in-law and the husband are involved. When my wife picked up the call her countenance changed immediately,” he narrated.
“So I asked what happened. She said it was a gas explosion and that her sister was at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. I lost my appetite and immediately drove to the hospital. I know how Orazi is. there are many shops scattered all over just for people to survive.”