At least 80 killed in Nigerian oil blast: Emergency service

A Nigerian emergency service on Sunday said that an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in southern Nigeria has killed at least 80 people.

According to the police, the explosion occurred late on Friday at the illegal site between the southern oil states of Rivers and Imo.

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Speaking to news organisation AFP, Ifeanyi Nnaji of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the area said, “We recovered at least 80 badly burnt bodies at the scene.” The emergency service also said that the toll could rise further.

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“We learnt many bodies are in nearby bushes and forests as some illegal operators and their patrons scampered for safety.”

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Nnaji said that several burnt vehicles and jerry-cans used in scooping stolen crude and petroleum products littered the scene.

The incident that took place on Friday is the latest to hit oil-rich Nigeria in recent years.

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According to local media reports, more than 100 people were killed in the blast.

The incident that took place on Friday is the latest to hit oil-rich Nigeria in recent years.

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Illegal crude refining is common in the southern-oil region where thieves vandalise pipelines to steal crude which they refine to sell on the black market.

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Most people in the oil-producing Niger delta live in poverty even though the country is the biggest oil producer on the continent, with output of around two million barrels per day.