An early morning explosion at a gas plant on Thursday in the Ipaja area of Lagos has killed eight persons, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has confirmed.
Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the Director-General of LASEMA stated in a statement after an assessment of the explosion said the incident occurred around 6 am, destroying several properties.
While further assessment of the area is still ongoing, a tweet by the emergency response agency, disclosed that an initial disaster assessment revealed that eight fatalities have been identified.
Explosion at a Gas Plant in Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos State this morning. pic.twitter.com/ZXlopBpjnh
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) October 8, 2020
The agency further disclosed that the initial disaster assessment has shown that 25 houses were affected, 16 lockup shops and one primary school were also burnt.
An official of the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who spoke to Channels Television at the scene said a generator triggered the fire.
Rescue operations are still ongoing.
The incident is coming barely two weeks after a tanker explosion occurred in the Iju, Ajuwon area of the state.