Five persons reportedly died yesterday in an industrial gas explosion in the Ladipo Market area, Lagos.
The rampant cases of industrial gas explosion, which is often mistaken for cooking gas, has become a recurring decimal lately.
Investigations by Daily Sun revealed that the regulation of Industrial gas (acetylene) rests on the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Investment, and as such was outside the purview of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), which is only mandated by law to regulate activities involving LPG, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
Acting Zonal Coordinator, Southwest Zonal Office, NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development in a statement in Lagos.
Farinloye said the cause of the explosion, which occurred on Tuesday morning at the shop located at 33/35 Ojekunle St. Ladipo Spare Part Market, Lagos, was yet to be ascertained.
He said the shop had several industrial gas cylinders used for welding purposes.
He said NEMA, Lagos State Fire Service, Police Disaster Management Unit and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency immediately responded to the distress signal and were able to contain the fire.
“Unfortunately, there were casualties. Five persons were recovered dead, including a 10-year-old boy and a woman,” Farinloye said.
He said the investigation by NEMA showed that the shop was earlier sealed because the side of the street was dedicated as a mechanic village, which was not accessible to other users.
Farinloye said after some time, the seal and lock were removed before the incident.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Marketers (NALPGAM), Mr.Bassey Essien, confirmed the development to Daily Sun in a telephone interview, saying it remained worrisome that whenever there is a gas explosion, the public always link same to cooking gas.
The Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, had, in an ‘Emergency Alert’, stated that those who died in the explosion were three males.
