Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — At least five persons sustained injuries following an explosion at the cooking gas section of the Nobpet fueling station, located opposite the Air Force junction in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The explosion, which occurred on Monday, completely gutted the gas section of the facility and extended to damage over eight vehicles parked outside the adjacent Ebonyi State Transport Corporation terminal.
Eyewitnesses told our reporter that it took the combined efforts of the Rivers State Fire Service and the Nigerian Air Force Fire Service to bring the inferno under control.
One of the victims, Emmanuel Ninyaegwu, a commercial driver, suffered an injury to his ear. His 18-seater bus, which he operates on the Port Harcourt–Ebonyi route, was also destroyed in the fire.
“I was getting ready to load my vehicle. As I opened the boot, I heard a fire sound. I fell down, got up, and ran just before the explosion. It damaged my vehicle. Some people got injured, including me. Nobody died,” he narrated.
“An ambulance from the Air Force came and treated some people; others were taken to the hospital. The Fire Service’s water got exhausted, and it was the Air Force team that finally put out the fire,” he added.
Ninyaegwu confirmed that his pregnant wife, who was with him at the time of the incident, was rescued unharmed and taken home safely.
Another victim, Anthony Ofoke, the Rivers State Supervisor of the Ebonyi State Transport Corporation, said two of his vehicles were destroyed in the explosion, describing the incident as catastrophic.
“It was a very big calamity, an unexpected thing. I have never experienced such. After loading three vehicles, I returned to the office when I heard the explosion. It felt like a bomb,” Ofoke said.
“I didn’t know what to do but to run. I got injured in my leg. My bus and a Sienna vehicle were affected. I’m still shaken. The fire service dressed my wound,” he added.
Ofoke called on the government to enforce regulations to prevent fueling stations from operating close to residential or commercial areas.
“My appeal is that government should stop fueling stations from being built close to where people live or operate, before something worse happens,” he pleaded.
