An explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region has killed at least 15 people, citizens and a local environmental group said on Tuesday, adding a pregnant woman.
The explosion occurred Monday in Emohua district in the southern state of River, where illegal refineries are common. Residents said the death toll was likely to rise, as many bodies were completely burned and dozens were injured.
Police showed the incident but did not provide the main details of what happened. Residents said most of those killed worked at the illegal refinery in Rumucholu village.
Workers were refining oil extracted from a shattered pipeline, according to Chima Avadi, a local activist. “When they discover the place where they destroyed the pipe, they go to where they were cooking. That’s how the fire started,” Avadi said.
Dozens more people were being treated in hospitals, he said. A pregnant woman was among the 15 patients found dead, according to a statement from the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Center, a local environmental advocacy group.
Explosions at managed refineries are not unusual in the oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta region, where most of the country’s oil facilities are subject to chronic oil theft.
Dubious operators bypass regulators by setting up refineries in remote areas. Workers at those facilities rarely meet protection standards, leading to common fires, such as one in Imo state last year that killed more than a hundred people.
“What they earn in a day or two is more than a civil servant can earn in a year,” said Fyneface Dumnamene, executive director of the Youth and Environment Advocacy Center.
His organization advocates for environmental reforms and an end to illegal activities. But amid growing economic hardship in Nigeria, “people are looking for opportunities to make ends meet,” Dumnamene said.
Nigeria lost at least $3 billion worth of crude oil due to thefts between January 2021 and February 2022, Nigeria’s Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission said last year.
As one of Africa’s leading oil producers, Nigeria derives most of its wealth from the Niger Delta region. However, citizens say their communities lack basic services and feel abandoned by the government.
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