The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Friday said a combined
team of DPR, KEPA and other agencies have recovered mutilated bodies of
three more victims of the Jan. 4 Kaduna gas explosion.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the recovery of the
three bodies brings to eight the number of victims killed by the gas
explosion.
The North West Zonal Controller, DPR, Isa Tafida made the disclosure
during a condolence visit to the family of the late Chairman of Nigeria
Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Simon Mallam.
Tafida represented the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,
Timipre Sylva and the Director, DPR, Auwalu Sarki during the condolence
to the family of the late professor at Gonin Gora, Kaduna.
Tafida also paid a sympathy visit to Joel Daniel, 36, a survivor of
the explosion being treated from severe burns at St Gerrad Hospital,
Kaduna.
“The department in collaboration with security and other government
agencies including KEPA and KASUPDA evacuated the cylinders in the shop
where the gas explosion occurred to safety and in the process, mutilated
bodies of three other victims were recovered under the debris.
“The operator who brought the calamity upon the victims was operating at the premises illegally.
“From the information we received, he came from another location
because of our campaign against illegal gas operators, unfortunately,
nobody alerted us,“ he said.
Tafida said DPR, together with the security and other agencies would
comb the nooks and crannies of the country to check such illegal
operators.
“While expressing the condolences of the Minister of State Petroleum
Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Director, DPR, Auwalu Sarki to
you and other members of the family, we will like to assure you that
government is taking adequate measures to forestall reoccurrence of such
disasters which has to do with illegality,“ Tafida said.
He said the department has also engaged in public sensitization on safe handling of gas.
“This particular incident did not have to do with Liquefied Petroleum
Gas (LPG) but industrial gas also known as Acetylene which is used for
welding and in some industrial activities,“ he said.
The official said that Acetylene is more dangerous than LPG and
whoever is engaging in that type of business should get approval and
license from relevant authorities to avert danger.
He assured that security agencies were working to track down the operator of the gas shop who is currently at large.