The death toll from the Abule Ado explosion could be higher.
Corpses are still being exhumed from the scene of a gas explosion that rocked the Abule Ado area of Lagos at about 9am on Sunday, March 15, 2020.
The explosion, triggered after a truck reportedly ran into gas cylinders on the right of way of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), killed at least 17 people and burnt over 50 buildings, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
There are indications that the death toll could be higher as rescue operations continue.
Pulse is currently at the scene of the inferno and we can report that corpses are still being exhumed from the rubble at the time of writing.
We have counted five such corpses since Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu left the scene a little over two hours ago.
Over 60 students of the Bethlehem High School Abule Ado, were victims of the fire. Reverend Sister Henrietta Alokha, Principal of Bethlehem High School, died while trying to rescue some of her students.
Governor Sanwo-Olu has set up a N2 billion relief fund to provide immediate relief and support to the victims of the disaster.
“This incident is certainly beyond what the government can independently pull off and we will count on your support to contribute to this fund as we work to provide succour for the victims of this unfortunate incident,” the governor said.
Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, says the fire reignited at 5:10am on Monday, March 16, from residual fires in the neighborhood.
The sound of Sunday’s explosion reverberated across Lagos and was felt kilometers away in the city's densely populated suburbs.
The extent of the damage was far more serious than a usual oil pipeline explosion, which has become commonplace in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
It was the most serious explosion in Lagos since January 2002, when bombs from a military armory exploded, killing more than 1,000 people.
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