17 January 2014, Warri – Explosion, suspectedly from adulterated kerosene, has led to the death one Mrs. Dinnes Ekpe in Enekorogha community of Bomadi Council Area of Delta State just as two others are in hospitals from similar explosions.
Kerosene explosion scare now pervades the riverside communities of the state with fear of possible adulterated kerosene being marketed across the communities.
Unconfirmed reports said there have been explosions in different parts of the communities from adulterated kerosene with at least three persons already confirmed death.
Vanguard gathered that Mrs. Ekpe died after efforts to save her failed due to poor accessibility to medical facilities in the riverine area.
Mrs Ekpe, a mother of three, was said to have died before reaching the hospital in Bomadi in a speed boat.
Two other victims from similar explosions are receiving treatment in Bomadi Central Hospital, Bomadi.
An eyewitness, Mr. Adobo Wikimor, a native of Esanma, said another explosion left one Mrs Bideke Smith, mother of six, with serious burns.
He told Vanguard that the disaster caused by the ‘killer kerosene’ has created fear among the users in the communities.
According to him, “the once beautiful woman is now like a living ‘ghost’ after the explosion. She was cooking with a stove when it exploded and went up in flames.
“She almost died before we rushed her to Bomadi for medical attention. She is responding to treatment but her body is wrapped in bandages.”
Mrs Joy Kenneth, another victim from Esanma community, is battling with pains at a private medical centre also in Bomadi.
A community leader, Chief Richard Enaredei, who confirmed the prevalence of the killer kerosene in the Ijaw-speaking communities in Delta State, said: “The fear generated by kerosene explosion in the communities is causing families to shun the use of kerosene, which is the people’s only means of cooking.”
He appealed to state and Federal Government to investigate the killer kerosene saga which is in circulation before it spreads to other parts of the country.
A community source who craved anonymity traced the adulterated kerosene to products of the local illegal refineries across the Niger Delta region.
Debunking the claims, a relative of one of the victims said his sister bought the kerosene from a filling station in Bomadi.
But a source alleged that the illegal refinery business is booming in Niger Delta due to the high patronage by registered filling stations.
– Vanguard
