16 killed in Nigeria pipeline explosion

At least 16 people were killed and many others injured today when a pipeline carrying petroleum products exploded in Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city, the Red Cross said.

The blast shook the heavily populated Adule Egba neighbourhood after dawn, Nigerian Red Cross spokesman Umar Mairiga said.

He said 16 bodies had been taken to the morgue, but raging fires were hindering further recovery. Many people had been injured, he said.

Hours after the blast, heavy, black smoke still billowed high into the sky over the neighbourhood.

It was not immediately clear what was flowing in the pipe or what caused the blast.

Nigerians often tap into pipelines carrying refined fuel, scooping up the raw product in buckets or plastic bags. Spilled fuel spreading in pools sometimes ignites, killing people nearby.

In May, more than 150 people died in a similar explosion in Lagos.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer, but corruption, poor management and limited refining capacity often leaves the country short of fuel for vehicles and stoves.

Shortages in recent days have prompted hours-long lines at Lagos filling stations.