Huge Explosion in Lagos Leaves at Least 15 Dead, Destroyes 50 Buildings (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A gas explosion in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos on Sunday killed at least 15 people, injured many more and destroyed around 50 buildings.
The blast happened at around 8:00 am (0700 GMT) and destroyed around 50 buildings in the residential district of Abule Ado. Houses, lorries, cars and motorbikes were also torched in the blast, DailyMail reported.
"15 bodies have been recovered now. So many people have been injured," national emergency services spokesman Ibrahim Farinloye said, adding that around 50 buildings were also destroyed in the explosion which was followed by a fire.
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) the blast was caused by a truck that hit gas bottles stacked up in a gas processing plant.
'The impact of the explosion was so huge that it led to the collapse of nearby houses and damage to an NNPC pipeline,' the company added.
'We are recovering dead bodies as we speak and putting them in bags,' said local Red Cross official Adebola Kolawale.
Among those inspecting the damage was Lagos resident Abibola Ayo. He said that although he lives three kilometres away, the blast was so strong he felt it in his home.
