Death toll rises to 3 in Port Harcourt explosion 

By Peters Monday, Abuja

The death toll has risen to least in the weekend, gas explosion fire in Rivers State.

It would be recalled that on Saturday a gas cylinder exploded when a vendor was reportedly refilling a gas can, leaving over 20 people with various degrees of burns.

The incident reportedly occurred in the big three areas of Orazi Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

Congress learnt that a family of four, father, mother and two children were severely affected in the tragic incident.

Our reporter disclosed after the incident, 15 of the victims were taken to Rivers State University Teaching Hospital while about five were moved to a health facility within Orazi for treatment.

A close source in the area, who was privy to the development, but gave his name simply as Ezekiel, said that the incident happened around 2 pm, Saturday.

He maintained: “We were in our office when we heard a heavy sound. It did not waste time, people started shouting fire. People started running. Anybody who comes out of the fire will burn immediately.

“There was a blue flame everywhere. Even a taxi that was passing some of the passengers in the car was burnt. People working in other shops were affected. Because it is gas, the fire travelled very far and burnt many people and property.

The source further disclosed that three of the people involved in the fire incident lost their lives days after the tragedy.

The source said a man identified as Ayo, and his daughter, who were burnt alongside his son and wife, have died.

The eyewitness said while the five-year-old daughter of Ayo died on Sunday after, that Ayo gave up on Tuesday.

He also noted that a sales girl in a boutique that was also burnt died Monday and was buried in a Cemetery in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

According to him: “Three people have died. The daughter of Ayo died on Sunday after. The girl was seriously burnt, even his father, Ayo. Ayo had escaped with a small burn when the fire started.

“He remembered that his two children were in the fire. He entered the fire and rescued his son. He entered again and brought out his daughter. By this time the fire affected him very well. His whole body piled off. Even his cloth burnt off.

“That his daughter died on Sunday, while himself died on Tuesday. Ayo’s wife and son are still in the hospital.

But another report has it that the death toll has risen to five, stating that three persons died on Tuesday morning, in addition to the two that passed on Monday.

About 25 people were reportedly involved in the explosion last Saturday, which occurred at a gas refilling shop, allegedly caused by a spark from a welding operation.