Three persons were feared dead yesterday with two others sustaining various degree of injuries, following a gas explosion that rocked Abuja gateway city, Zuba, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This gas explosion tragedy was the second one this week.
The first explosion which no life was lost to, but left up to twenty people with various degrees of burnt and hospitalised at different medical centres, occured at one of densely populated Jahi 11 village, in Jahi district of Abuja. The explosion at Zuba claimed the life of the gas attendants and the customer who obviously was there to refill a gas cylinder. An eyewitness account by Madam Jubillee Madu, said: “The incident occured when a boy suspected to be a welder came to a gas shop with a gas cylinder to refill. Four persons were inside the shop. These persons include the wife and three sales persons in the shop.
As the sales persons were trying to refill the gas, all of a sudden the cylinder exploded and blasted the about three persons to pieces.” Another eye witness, Victoria, told Saturday Telegraph that some people around the area escaped death by whisker, but were left with various degrees of burnt, and were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention. She said: “One of the gas attendants that died was to graduate next month and would be given a sendforth party with his own shop fully furnished as is the custom of the Igbos, and the other one was a new apprentice who was brought to replace the outgoing one and acquire a little experience on the trade.
“The remains of the deceased were put together by the policemen and taken to mortuary the police also evacuated the remaining gas cylinders from the shop.”
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Zuba Area Command, CSP Dankwano Welson, who confirmed the incident, said a distress call was received by the police and immediately a team of officers were dispatched to the place. He said: “On getting there, the gas had exploded, the victims’ bodies were seen scattered all over the place, we carried them and picked the shattered parts of their bodies and deposited them at Gwagwalada Teaching Hospital Mortuary, and the one that sustained injury to Diamond Crest Hospital.
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