At least five people are thought to have been killed following an oil explosion on a barge in the Port of Lagos on Wednesday 9 January 2013. Witnesses reported seeing a fire aboard a barge offloading petroleum motor spirit at Tin Can Island 11.00 am, followed by an explosion at 11.30 which caused damage to a number of buildings in the area, including the offices of the Nigerian Ports Authority and a branch of First Bank of Nigeria.
Fire blazing on Tin Can Island, 9 January 2012. The Nation.
The fire is reported to have caused a number of explosions, leading to widespread panic at the port. It took authorities at the port about two hours to get the fires under control, after brining in fire-fighting vehicles from both the Lagos State Fire Service and a number of oil companies operating in the port. Witnesses reported seeing a number of people injured, and at least five bodies being removed from the port, though local authorities have yet to confirm any casualties.
The facility at Tin Can Island is operated by MRS Oil and Gas, one of a number of companies importing fuel oil through the port. Nigeria is one of the world's largest exporters of crude oil, but is almost entirely dependent on imported refined oils to meet its own needs.
See also Amnesty International reports on the 2012 Bodo Oil Spill, Explosion aboard oil vessel in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Oil spill in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, Chevron exploration rig still burning in the Niger Delta and Oil spill off the coast of Nigeria.
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