NIGERIA: Nigerian Minister of Petroleum visits cleanup at site of Pipeline explosion.

Cleanup work continued in the heart of the Nigerian capital Lagos, at the site of Wednesday's (December 27) fuel explosion in which hundreds of people burned alive. The Red Cross estimated that 269 people died in a massive explosion on Tuesday morning when residents of Abule Egba used plastic pots to scoop up fuel from an underground pipeline which had been broken open earlier by a criminal gang. Many at the scene of the disaster blamed the government for allowing poverty to reach such depths in Africa's top oil producing nation that ordinary people were ready to risk their lives for a bucket of petrol. The scorched remains of barely recognisable body parts, cars and market stalls could be seen in the market square the size of a soccer pitch where everything was burned to a cinder. Long queues have formed at most filling stations across Nigeria over the past few weeks, spawning a vigorous trade in black market fuel sold in jerry cans at the road side. By Wednesday morning, almost all the human remains had been removed for mass burial, but the stench of burned wood, roasted flesh and petrol lingered in the air. Nigeria Minister of Petroleum Edward Daukoru arrived at the blast site on Wednesday (December 27). Speaking to reporters he condemned those responsible for the explosion. "Whosever that is engaging in this kind of activities should be ashamed of himself, should be ashamed of themselves, the activity for little gain has resulted in so much misery and so much loss of lives, we are very sad, it's not a time to talk about whose fault is it, who made the mistake, whether it's staff or it's not staff, this is not the time; This is the time to express sympathy to the bereaved and to the whole community," said Daukoru. Local media said police were alerted to the fuel spill before the explosion, but were chased away by the crowds seeking their share of the "Christmas bonus". President Olusegun Obasanjo said in a statement that he was particularly distraught at the unnecessary loss of life despite repeated warnings by the government on the dangers of tampering with pipelines. It was the second such explosion in Lagos this year, after about 200 died in a similar explosion in May. Stallholder Iluyemi Idowu, who lost his plastic recycling workshop in Tuesday's blast, said both police and the national oil company had been informed about the problem three weeks before the tragedy. The gang that broke open the pipe in the early hours of 26th Decemeber, had dug down to the pipeline three weeks earlier and covered the hole with sawdust, he said. Officials from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) had advised stall holders to put a gate at either end of the square to stop the thieves returning. NNPC said it was the police's job to secure pipelines around the country. Pope Benedict XVI sent a condolence message through the Vatican expressing sadness at the explosion and assurances of his solidarity and concern.

ITN Source | December 28, 2006

Tags:. .alive. .underground. .sold. .sadness. .sad