Posted by By JAMES OJO, Abuja. on
The number of victims of kerosene explosion in Ibadan yesterday rose to 13 as a couple and a mother of four were again brought to the Burns Unit of the foremost University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
...As DPR shuts down fuel stations
The number of victims of kerosene explosion in Ibadan yesterday rose to 13 as a couple and a mother of four were again brought to the Burns Unit of the foremost University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Traces of contaminated kerosene were first recorded at Olodo area of the ancient city last week when four different families were affected by kerosene explosion while refueling already lit lanterns.
Assistant Director, Burns Unit of the teaching hospital, Mrs. Emem Etuk, yesterday told Daily Sun that another set of victims of the explosion were brought in on Tuesday and Wednesday from the same Olodo area.
The affected victims were Mr. Bamidele Alex (29), his wife, Elizabeth (26) and their four months old kid, who Etuk disclosed were brought to the hospital on Tuesday. The other victim was a mother of four, Mrs. Halimat Musibaudeen (36) and her four- year- old child, who also sustained minor burns.
Etuk disclosed that the two babies had since been treated and discharged while their parents were met on hospital beds when Daily Sun visited the Burns Unit yesterday.
Recalling the incident, Alex, who sustained serious burns on the two legs and arms, said he was already asleep when he was woken up by the scream of his wife, whose body had already been set aflame by the contaminated kerosene.
'I fell from my bed into the fire. We were in the room with our four months old baby. I was already asleep. Her scream woke me up," Alex recalled.
His wife was the most affected, with all her 10 fingers, face, arms and legs seriously burnt. Doctors were seen battling to attend to her yesterday as she wrinkled in pains.
While disclosing that five persons had already been lost to the contaminated kerosene, the Assistant Director of the Burns Unit called on the people of the state to stop refueling their lanterns and stoves when they were lit.
'My message is that one, the dealers should ensure that the tankers they use in collecting petrol should not be used to collect kerosene. Then, for the users it is advisable that they make sure that either the lantern or stove they use has kerosene in it before use. And if the kerosene finishes after it has been lit, they should put off the lantern or stove, leave it for a while before they refill," Etuk advised.
She, however, called on good-spirited Nigerians to come to the aids of the victims of the kerosene explosion through donation of money and materials for their treatment, saying burns' treatment is always expensive.
Meanwhile, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has risen to the occasion by shutting down two filling stations, which victims claimed sold the contaminated kerosene to them, pending laboratory test of their products.
Acting Operations Controller of DPR in Oyo State, Mrs Modupe Komolafe, disclosed to newsmen in her office, yesterday that her agency has also started taken samples of kerosene in other filling stations across the state for laboratory analysis.
'As soon as the explosion reoccurred on Tuesday, we drafted our investigations team to the UCH to find out the source of the kerosene from the victims. We were able to establish that two filling stations were involved and we went there to take samples for laboratory analysis and shut down the stations immediately," Komolafe stated.