Four Family Members Die In Kerosene Explosion In C’River
Four persons were confirmed dead in Ikot Ekpo community, about eight miles from Calabar, the Cross River state capital when kerosene, suspected to have been adulterated, exploded Monday night, killing in the process, a 45-year-old man, two of his children and an in-law.
The name of the old man was given as Esuabana Thomas Okon while his two children who died with him were Okon Esua Thomas aged 14 and Edet Esua Thomas, 12. The In-law, Matthias, also perished in the inferno. They were indigenes of Ukwa Eburutu in Odukpani Local Government of the state.
Our reporter, who spoke with the landlord of the deceased and relation, gathered that Esuabana’s wife and his daughter survived the inferno.
In an interview, the landlord, Engineer Efiom Offiong Efanga, said he was not at home when the incident happened since he was yet to pack into his part of the apartment which was yet to be completed, and that an eyewitness drew his attention to the ugly development at about 10 pm.
“I had a call at about a minute to 10 O’clock that there was a fire outbreak in my compound. I had to rush down here. By the time I got here, the neighbours had succeeded in putting out the fire but they did not know initially that people had actually been burnt inside because it seemed there were no screams.
“It was after the fire was extinguished that we discovered three persons inside who were already dead. Another victim, who was also fatally burnt, was rushed to the hospital but he gave up the ghost on the way and so his dead body was brought back. The only survivor among the children is the daughter. I met her in that Church close to my compound, very frightened.
“She told me that the mum asked the elderly brother to refuel the lantern but the boy refused and went inside, and that after some minutes, the mum decided to send her to refuel the lantern and that as soon as she poured the kerosene into the already lit but dim lantern, there was a huge explosion, so she threw the lantern away and ran out. She said, the mother was outside easing herself when the explosion occurred.”
Also speaking, a relative to the Esuabanas, Mr Samuel Inyang, who said the explosion happened at about 9.30 described the incident as mysterious, adding that what surprised everyone was how the girl could run out while his father and the other three could not, even when the door was opened.
He said: “The incident happened in the kitchen. The four persons who died were in the room but we cannot explain why they could not run out of the door. How can our kerosene be exploding like bombs? It is a mystery that the door was opened but our brother and his children and in-law could not escape. The fire incident started in the kitchen, not the room, and they had every opportunity to have escaped but they could not. It is a mystery.”
Inyang, suspected that the kerosene might have been heavily adulterated, and further appealed to relevant government agencies to intensify efforts at bringing to an end the cases of petroleum bunkering which he said encouraged dealers to mix all types of things with kerosene.
“Bunkering kerosene is believed to be responsible for all these explosions. Government should rise to the occasion and save the lives of Nigerians,” he stated.
https://orientdailynews.com/cr....ime/four-family-memb
