Residents are reportedly fetching dead fish that littered the environment and eating them after an explosion rocked a fuel dump in Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The explosion, it was reported, affected aquatic life and resulted in the deaths of many fishes.
An eyewitness who disclosed this to newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday said the incident which left two fishermen dead has affected aquatic life in the area, with many fishes seen floating lifeless on the river.
Recall that the explosion occurred last Monday after a hose used in offloading Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) at a Port Harcourt Refining Company depot was poorly handled by workers, resulting in a spill on July 31st.
Following the explosion, many residents scooped and stored the product at different locations, even as the spill found its way into the river.
It was gathered that two fishermen who had gone fishing later that evening with lanterns set off the explosion.
The eyewitness said, “It happened close to NAFCON (moribund fertiliser company) bridge. Two people died and two fishermen went fishing, one of them carried a light (lantern), so the fire sparked.
“There was large sound and fire everywhere, even the river and boat were burnt.
“The following morning, even me when I passed the place, people were catching fish on the river. Some picked up to 20, 30, and so on, dried it, and started selling them.”
The initial report has it that 16 people died in the explosion, but the Chairman of Okrika LGA, Hon Akuro Tobin, while confirming the incident to our reporter on the telephone, said only four fatalities were recorded.
Tobin said the incident happened when the victims tried to scoop petrol and described it as unfortunate.
He stated, “It is very unfortunate and I don’t like discussing this issue. They went there to steal oil (petrol) and the government has been warning against this.
“None of their parents sent them to go and steal oil. They went there on their own. The Government has been telling people every day to stop stealing oil, that oil theft is bad.
“Now four people have died. I am not happy and I don’t like talking about it.”
Aside from the Okrika Council Chairman, relevant government agencies including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have maintained a studied silence over the incident.
Meanwhile, an environmental rights advocate, Fyneface Dumnamene, has expressed sadness over the loss of lives and called for an investigation into the explosion
Dumnamene, who is the Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocate Centre stated, “We are more concerned about the people that died and the environmental impact of the incident.
“If there was a spillage of PMS into the environment, it has damaged the aquatic system. It has affected fish in the river. It has affected the sources of livelihood of the farmers in the area.
“It is important for the authorities, the NNPC, and the Refining Company to come forward and speak about what has happened so that they can carry out environmental cleanup, and be able to determine what has caused the incident and then prevent future occurrences.”