WARRI – A fisherman has been reportedly burnt to death in a pipeline explosion at Kunukunuma Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, weekend, while his wife, who was severely burnt, is lying crucially ill at an undisclosed hospital in Warri.
The explosion allegedly occurred on an oil pipeline that supplies crude oil to the Kaduna Refinery via the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC.
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It was gathered that the man, simply identified as Mr. Salmon was fishing with his wife near the pipeline when they heard an explosion, and he started his boat to run for safety, but that was his undoing, as the engine exploded immediately with balls of fire all over him and his wife.
A source said he was burnt to death on the spot and his boat beyond repairs, adding that the oil pipeline, belonging to the Petroleum Pipeline Marketing Company, PPMC, which was ruptured, sometime ago, was supposed to have been repaired, but it was still pending at the time of the incident.
The source said the contractor merely “corked” the leaking spots and had not carried out the expected repairs, but it was gathered that investigations were on to ascertain if the ruptured pipeline was vandalized or it was an act of sabotage.
