News / Politics
Pipeline Explosion Kills at least 200 in Nigeria
A gas pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria exploded on Tuesday killing at least 200 people with fears that the number could double or even triple. Most of the bodies recovered at this point have been burned beyond recognition.
Red Cross officials have indicated that they have documented over 200 dead and they were still counting. Ige Oladimeji, a senior official for the organization, said “We can only recognize them through the skulls, the bodies are scattered over the ground.”
The pipeline suffered a rupture shortly after midnight and the puddles of spilt fuel ignited some time after dawn.
While there has been no official cause announced for the rupture vandalism is suspected. People often vandalize the pipelines as a means of extracting gas for resale.
