Explosion kills 7 at Nigeria's state-run oil facility

ABUJA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's state-run oil firm on Wednesday said a detailed investigation has been launched into the cause of an explosion that killed seven people at one of its joint venture facilities in the southern part of the country.

The explosion reported by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) occurred at Gbetiokun OML 40 on Tuesday, according to an official statement. The facility is operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) on behalf of the NPDC/Elcrest Joint Venture.

The blast happened during the installation of a ladder on a platform of the Benin River Valve Station for access during the discharging of Gbetiokun production, the official statement by NNPC said. Enditem