An explosion at an illegal oil refining depot in Nigeria has left more than 100 people dead, local officials fear.
The incident took place in the country’s Rivers state a local government official and the NGO Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC) said on Saturday.
So far more than 50 people have been confirmed dead police have said while the fire is reported to have damaged nearby properties.
“The fire outbreak occurred at an illegal bunkering site and it affected over 100 people who were burnt beyond recognition,” the state commissioner for petroleum resources, Goodluck Opiah, said.
The fire broke out on Friday night and quickly spread to two fuel storage areas located at the illegal crude oil refinery causing the complex to be “engulfed by fire which spread rapidly” within the area, Declan Emelumba, Imo State Commissioner for Information added.
The immediate cause of the explosion and the extent of the deaths, injuries and damage are being investigated, said Mr Emelumba.
“A lot of people died. The people who died are all illegal operators,” said Michael Abattam, spokesman of the Imo State Police Command. The Imo state government is also looking for the owner of the refinery where the explosion occurred and have declared him a wanted individual, an official said.
High unemployment in the Niger Delta has made illegal crude refining an attractive business. It involves illegal tapping of crude from a maze of pipelines owned by oil majors and burning it at high temperature in makeshift tanks.
The hazardous process adds another layer of pollution in a region that has endured oil spills for decades and destroyed farmlands, creeks and lagoons.
The practice is so widespread that is it affecting Nigeria's crude oil production, in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. Nigeria is Africa's largest producer of crude oil but it has very few refineries and as a result most gasoline and other fuels are imported.
Local authorities have started a crackdown to try put a stop to illegal refining of stolen crude, a process known locally as "Kpo Fire", which officials say is worsening air pollution in the Delta and causing respiratory problems for some residents.
Samuel Nwanosike, chairman of Ikwerre local government area in Port Harcourt said 128 of 142 illegal refining sites identified by authorities in the area had been destroyed since a crackdown started in January.
It comes after Islamic State claimed a Friday night bombing in Nigeria's Taraba state capital Jalingo, a statement by the group on messaging channel Telegram said.
The bomb injured 11 people including children, police said.
