Posted on 12/26/2006 10:31:49 AM PST by saganite
LAGOS (Reuters) - Up to 500 people were burned alive on Tuesday when fuel from a vandalized pipeline exploded in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, emergency workers said.
Hundreds of residents of the Abule Egba district went to scoop fuel using plastic containers after thieves punctured the underground pipeline overnight to siphon fuel into a road tanker, locals said.
Abiodun Orebiyi, secretary-general of the Nigerian Red Cross, said there was no official death toll but estimated that between 200 and 500 people could have been killed.
"We know it is over 200 (dead). We are talking hundreds. We don't know if it is 300, 400 or 500," he said, adding that 60 people had been evacuated to hospital with serious burns.
This Reuters witness saw the remains of hundreds of bodies, most burned beyond recognition, lying at the scene of the explosion as emergency workers tried to put out the fire.
Some corpses lay rigid on the ground -- arms and legs in the air as if still trying to escape -- their clothes and skin burned off by the blast.
"A lot of people have been roasted. They are littered on the ground," a rescue worker said.
(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.com ...
Bad way to go.
should have read that sign about no cell phone usage while stealing gas...
Awful. Prayers to Nigeria.
Stealing fuel by puncturing a pipeline happens in more countries than just in Nigeria.
Already in breaking news. Please delete thread. Sorry
How horrible, what an awful, awful thing to do. God bless those who lost their lives, and may He be with those who are suffering.
Shouldn't this be in "Baking News"?..........
This happens frequently in Nigeria. This one is just worse than the others.
From the BBC:
The blast in the Abule Egba area happened as hundreds of people were scooping fuel from a pipeline punctured by thieves, officials said.
Some 2,000 people have died in similar incidents in the past decade.
Photoshopped I hope!
Let that sink in, no pun intended. Given world oil prices, there is NO REASON why such a wealthy country should have a large percentage of its population living in poverty. Sure there are plenty of excuses, but no reason. NONE.
Nigeria is a kleptocracy. It is consistently rated as one of the 5 most corrupt countries on earth. Very little of that oil wealth filters down to the population, especially if they happen to be of the wrong tribe.
Obviously.
This happens with surprising regularity in Nigeria. You think they would learn...
I remember a similar explosion a few years ago where the Nigerian military was present at a leak and was selling the fuel when the explosion occurred. Corruption is a way of life there.
What a mess. When I flew through Lagos a few years back, they advised us to not even get off the plane. In fact, nobody got off the plane in Lagos - it was just a stopover.
Africa's Venezuela. Nigeria is a cesspool of socialism & corruption.
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