Explosion at Nigeria gas processing plant causes deaths, destruction

<p>Residents along the Lagos – Badagry expressway in Nigeria on Sunday, witnessed a loud explosion followed by sparks of thick flames, that claimed lives and caused extensive damage to buildings.</p> <p>Debris and thick smoke were seen over a large area as perturbed residents gathered in groups assessing the damage. Local media reported 15 deaths citing the National Emergency Management Agency, <span class="caps">NEMA</span>.</p> <p>The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, <span class="caps">NNPC</span>, said in a statement that the incident “was as a result of gas explosion which occured after a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked at a gas processing plant. </p> <p>An <span class="caps">NNPC</span> official added that “preliminary findings indicated that the impact of the explosion was so huge that it led to the collapse of nearby houses and damage to <span class="caps">NNPC</span> pipelines on which efforts are being made to curtail the resultant fire.”</p> <p>Nigerians took to social media to grieve in part and also bemoan what they said are dysfunctional systems that expose ordinary people to such hazards. The <span class="caps">NNPC</span> boss and his team visited the site of the incident while President Muhammadu Buhari also sent condolences via social media.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I received with sadness the news of the explosion in Lagos, which caused loss of lives and property. While the <span class="caps">NNPC</span> makes efforts to determine the cause of the incident, I send my deepest sympathies to the victims, their families, and the Government and people of Lagos State.</p>— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) <a href="https://twitter.com/MBuhari/status/1239254127135293442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>