It was a dark Christmas in Nnewi, Anambra State as eight people were killed and several others injured following a gas explosion at a gas plant belonging to the Intercorp Oil Limited, a subsidiary of Chicason Group located along Onitsha-Owerri expressway.
The bodies were burnt beyond recognition and according to eyewitnesses, the disaster occurred about midday when a consignment of gas was about being transferred to the company’s dump, due to leakage, there was a massive explosion which quickly spread to nearby houses wreaking havoc.
The Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, alongside the traditional ruler of Ontisha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, have visited the area and expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.
The Governor expressed worry and wondered why such a tragic incident would happen in a season of celebration but remarked that God knows best.
He assured the residents of Anambra that his government would do everything within its powers to assist people who sustained various degrees of burns and other injuries from the fire and that they would be given the best medical care available to forestall the possibilities of further loss of life.
