By Foster Obi
Seven persons have died after an explosion at an ‘Oil Mining Lease 40’ operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division (NNPC), Kennie Obateru confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday.
According to him, the incident happened on Tuesday evening at Gbetiokun in Delta State where the facility belonging to its subsidiary is located.
“The incident, which occurred on Tuesday during the installation of a ladder on a platform (Benin River Valve Station) for access during discharging of Gbetiokun production, unfortunately caused 7 fatalities,” the statement explained.
Obateru said the NNPC has started an investigation into the cause of the incident and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has been informed about it.
“The bodies of casualties have been deposited in a morgue in Sapele, while families of the personnel involved are being contacted by their employers: Weld Affairs and Flow Impact, which are consultants to NPDC,” he added.
He said all personnel on board the platform have been fully accounted.
According to him, the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, also commiserated with the families of the bereaved and prayed that God grants them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss of their loved ones.
Pix: NNPC headquarters, Abuja
