Association Commiserates With Gas Explosion Victims

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) has commiserated with victims of last Wednesday’s gas explosion that killed five persons at Trinity Gas Ltd., Obosi, near Onitsha in Anambra State.
The National President, Mr Nosa Ogieva-Okunbor, who led a five-member delegation to the accident scene, said that investigation had commenced to determine the remote cause of the explosion.
Other members of the delegation were Mr John Yakubu (PRO), Mr Godwin Ude (Financial Secretary), Mr Muomdubem Muomandu (State Chairman) and Mr Bassey Essien (Executive Secretary).
Okunbor said that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) had taken samples of the gas content and cylinders for analysis, adding that the association would unveil its position after the investigation.
“We are here to condole and commiserate with the management of the company and also assess the extent of damage and the probable cause of the explosion.
“It is a sad and tragic experience. It is unbelievable that a five-kg cylinder could cause this type of havoc,” he said.
He urged members to be safety conscious while doing business, noting that it was part of the safety measures put in place at Trinity Gas plant that reduced the extent of the damage before the arrival of the fire-fighters.
“The first thing for every LPG marketer is safety of his investment and staff, to save lives and millions of naira investment.”
A victim of the explosion who narrated his ordeal, Mr Nwanya Uzo, blamed the explosion on a substandard gas cylinder brought by one of the customers.
“My younger brother, who died in the accident, tried to refill a five kg gas cylinder which he complained to the owner was substandard when the explosion suddenly occurred.
“It was the heat from the explosion that burnt part of my body but I managed to shut down the main tank before putting out the fire with extinguishers,” Uzo, the director of the gas plant, said.
Our source reports that the explosion, which left five persons dead including three staff members of the company and two customers, caused severe damage to the office building.
Our source further reports that two other staff members — the plant manager and platform clerk — are still receiving treatment at Crown Hospital, Nkpor, and Toronto Hospital, Onitsha, respectively, for various degrees of burns.