No fewer than eleven people on Wednesday in Abuja narrowly various
degrees of burns from a gas explosion that occurred at Rosy Restaurant
Area 11.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the victims, who were
immediately rushed to the Asokoro General Hospital, were severely burnt
by the inferno.
A pregnant woman, who simply identified herself as Ajay,i who works
at the restaurant, said that they were all going about their normal
businesses when the gas suddenly exploded.
Ajayi, who is in her first trimester, said that she needed to go for scanning to ascertain the condition of her baby.
NAN reports that the explosion affected her face, legs and hands.
She was, however, attended to by the hospital management to know if
she would be transferred to where she would be given a better treatment.
Rachael Awu, another attendant at the restaurant and one of the
victims of the explosion, said she was attending to her duty when the
explosion rocked the restaurant
“I was serving customers and I went to pack meal, as I looked back I just heard the explosion.
“The fire started from the back of the restaurant where one of the
cylinders was stationed. I was facing outside and when I tried to look
back, I saw fire from the explosion.
“One of the gas cylinders was stationed outside the restaurant in the
open space, and there is another gas inside where we used to put meat.”
She said that the gas cylinder outside was the one that aided the fire which ignited the gas cylinder inside the restaurant.
Another victim, who simply identified himself as Promise, said that
the explosion was sudden, adding that he was attending to customers when
he heard a loud noise.
NAN reports that Promise suffered some degrees of injuries on his two hands and a partial burn on his face.
“I went to carry sachet water when the gas exploded; as I turned back the fire was already burning my hands,” he added.
Rose Kenu, a worker at the restaurant whose face was affected by the explosion, said what happened was beyond explanation.
“I was in the restaurant when the gas exploded; we were cooking
inside the restaurant because that is where the kitchen is located.”
Dr. Aminu Mile, the Acting Managing Director, Health and Human
Services Secretary (HHSS), Federal Capital Territory Administration
(FCTA) while on a visit to the victim, said the circumstances
surrounding the explosion would be unravelled.
He said that the HHSS was already doing his own part to help victims
of the explosion, adding that everything would be done to help the
victims.
Dr Nnabuchi Chidi, Acting managing Director, Asokoro Hospital said
that the hospital would refer some of the victims to the National
Hospital.
He said that 11 of them were brought to the hospital and the hospital would do everything to ensure they are stabilised.
When NAN visit Rosy restaurant the place was under locks and key and no one was willing to speak.