Wednesday 26 December 2012

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Explosion Rocks Lagos, 1 Confirmed Dead, 40 Injured

Fireworks explosion rocked Lagos Island on Wednesday morning. The incident, which affected three buildings located at Okoya/Ojogiwa, Lagos Island, Lagos, occurred at about 8:00am. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the death of one person in the Lagos explosion. Ibrahim Farinloye, the NEMA South-West spokesperson, confirmed that one person died from the explosion, while 40 others sustained minor injuries.
Witnesses said the dead body - and it was confirmed as an 11-year-old boy - was recovered after the explosion.
Scroll down for photos and video...
About 15 houses – mostly three-storey buildings – were severely destroyed by the explosion in the Idumota area of Lagos.
Firefighters are still struggling to put out the inferno.
A spokesperson of the Lagos Fire and Safety Services said that they arrived 30 minutes after the explosion, but the crowd at the scene hindered their operation.

More details later...
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STORY:
It was gathered that trouble started when a locked-up shop under one of the three buildings stocked with fireworks popularly called 'bangers' suddenly exploded and went up in flames.
The building is said to be located on Oko Awo Street in the popular Jankara area of Lagos, close to King Ado Secondary School.
Firefighters and rescue agencies were swiftly deployed on the scene and battled the huge blaze.
Within minutes of the explosion, the fire spread to a nearby building, sending hundreds of residents, traders and shoppers fleeing in the usually boisterous market area.
As a result of the explosion, it was learnt that the building which had the shop under it and two others adjoining collapsed.
Residents of the three buildings, who were still celebrating the Christmas festivity mood but were still on beds to witness the boxing day, were affected during the explosions.
A score of other residents were said to be currently trapped in the debris of the collapsed three buildings.
As at press-time, officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), fire service, police, Nigerian Security Civil and Defence Corps (NSCDC) and others had visited the scene for rescue operations.
The exact casualty figure is yet unknown, although many injured persons have been rushed to the hospital with serious burns.
Fireworks are banned in Nigeria.
Photos from the scene [just in]:




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