By from Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
THREE persons were confirmed dead on Easter Day as a pipeline explosion rocked Olugboboro community in Southern Ijaw Local Government are of Bayelsa State.
Seven other persons were severely injured in the pipeline explosion which occurred when technical staff of an oil servicing company contracted by Nigeria Agip Oil Company were trying to clamp one of the ruptured pipeline believed to have been destroyed by vandals.
According to witness, the deceased including an underwater Welder identified as Nelson Negibo, were burnt beyond recognition and their corpses recovered after the fire subsided.
“We were asked to go to the site on Easter Day but some of us complained that the safety conditions was not right for clamping to start, but the company insisted. The welder was about to start his work when there was a spark and a loud explosion with fire. Three persons were trapped in the fire and it was only on Monday that there bodies were recovered,” said the witness.
Investigations revealed that the two other victims whose identities were yet to be known were native of Ada-ma in Twon-Brass, Brass Local Government Area of the State.
The State Coordinator of Environmental Right Action (ERA),Comrade Morris Alagoa, who confirmed the incident described it as shocking and tragic.
According to him, the news of another tragic incident in the oil industry which claimed three lives with several persons sustaining various degrees of injuries came to the ERA with great shock.
He said: “While industrial and other accidents are part of the realities of our existence; some are preventable. And, this is where we in ERA will not stop calling on the authorities and Regulators of the oil industry to make safety and best
practices the mantra of the industry; not just profit. We are calling for a well constituted panel of enquiry made up of professional/stakeholders (including CSOs) to investigate this incident and make recommendaoil industry to make safety and best tions while the report should be made public.
“ It is worrisome because it is another sad commentary on the unsafe working environment and loss of lives. This is more so, considering the fact that it happened less than a year after the Azuzuama incident which claimed over 12 lives last July. All things being equal, ERA in our usual way shall visit the site of the incident and obtain first-hand testimonies before coming out with our formal report and related advocacy statements”
Also the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) confirmed the pipeline explosion at an oil field operated by Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Bayelsa.
Dr Peter Idabor, Director-General of NOSPRA who confirmed the development said that a staff of the agency escaped death in the incident.
Idabor said that the survivor had drawn the attention of the oil workers to the breach of safety procedure and left the scene shortly before the incident occurred.
“I received a report of the incident from our staff in Yenagoa office and luckily one of our officers on the team survived. Because of the safety conditions of the place after inspection my staff left the place and he was not affected
“I am going to report the matter officially to the Minister of Environment today,” he said.