by Olatunji Saliu
ABUJA, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an oil pipeline explosion in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, has risen to five, according to the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Monday.
The National Emergency Management Agency said earlier at least two bodies had been recovered following Sunday night's explosion in the Alimosho area of Lagos, causing panic among local residents.
"It's unfortunate we lost five lives to this inferno, with many in critical condition in the hospitals, all due to unpatriotic acts of vandals who make insertions into our pipeline to steal products, leading to disasters such as this," said Mele Kyari, group managing director of the NNPC, in a statement via Twitter.
In August 2019, the NNPC said cases of oil pipeline vandalization in Nigeria were soaring, as the number of such incidents surged by 115 percent in July compared to June.
Nosa Okunbor, a spokesperson for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, told Xinhua the victims killed in this incident included at least one child.
Some 11 trucks laden with 40-feet containers were also destroyed and seven buildings razed by the raging inferno caused by the explosion, Okunbor said.
