Four persons died while 11 people were hospitalised as a result of fire explosion that occurred at a gas plant in Agbor, Delta state.  

Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa confirmed the deaths and made it known to pressmen on Saturday after visiting the gas plant. 

It was disclosed that the fire explosion occurred when the tanker was discharging the gas.

 “It was an unfortunate fire incident involving a gas station where the tanker was trying to discharge gas.

“We have visited the place and the victims and we have seen the extent of damage caused by the inferno.

“We lost four persons, three children and a woman.

“After my visit to the two families that lost their dear ones, I also visited the Central Hospital at Agbor where they were initially rushed to with varying degree of burns ranging from 80 to 90 per cent.

“They were immediately offered medical services even though they wouldn’t have been able to attend to them because of the extent of the burns so they have to transfer them to the Federal Medical Centre Asaba and the University of Benin Teaching Hospital with aid of ambulances provided by the State Government.

“I have directed the Commissioner for Health to make some deposits at the hospitals to enable them have full treatment,” the Governor said.

He added that “I have listened and heard the complaints listened to the Medical Director and the extent to which they went, obviously the patients had severe and extensive burns.

“Any burn that is above 30 per cent is a major burn and we are talking about 80 to 90 per cent burns here.

“So they needed to be moved to UBTH, a specialised centre for the treatment of burns. When you have such a degree of burns many hospitals will not accept them because the survival rate is low,” he commented.

Building gas plants at residential areas, Okowa said he would liaise with the State House of Assembly to come up with a law regulating such investments.

“Obviously it’s a sad situation and we thank God that this one wasn’t close to a densely populated area otherwise the damage would have been more.

“I have just told the member representing Ika South Constituency, Hon. Festus Okoh, that I am going to meet with the House of Assembly to enact a law to that effect,” he stated.