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Rivers community raises the alarm over fire incident in oil facility

By  Julius Osahon, Yenagoa
11 January 2018   |   2:44 am
Residents of Agum-Bukuma community in Rivers State have raised the alarm over a fire incident in Eroton oil structure. The community’s youths President, Tonye Beresibo, said the facility had leaked for three days before it went up in flames on Saturday morning. He said the distress call became necessary to avert a spread of the…

PHOTO: RT.com

Residents of Agum-Bukuma community in Rivers State have raised the alarm over a fire incident in Eroton oil structure.

The community’s youths President, Tonye Beresibo, said the facility had leaked for three days before it went up in flames on Saturday morning.

He said the distress call became necessary to avert a spread of the fire to residential areas.

Beresibo explained that the inferno began around 5:00 a.m. on Saturday and kept burning till Sunday evening.

He said although, no causality was recorded, but the government must act fast to prevent a colossal damage to the community.
He lamented that the fire incident had affected their source of livelihood

According to him, fishing could no longer take place, even as residents had to vacate their houses due to the heat waves from the place.

He further disclosed that officials of Eroton who visited the place last Saturday, in the company of security operatives, left without putting out the fire.

“We are totally confused over the intention of Eroton, hence we are calling on the state government to come to our rescue.

“Most of us work in the river, which had been polluted by the leakage. The river is also our only source of livelihood, and if the fire were not quenched, it would affect our fishing lines and other activities.

“We need the government to urgently come to our aide, so that our women could also be able to pick periwinkle from the river,” he said.

Beresibo disclosed that many people have fled the place in fear, to some neighbouring communities.

When our correspondent visited the company for its reaction, no one volunteered to speak on the matter.

But the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) disclosed that efforts were being made to put out the fire.
  
NOSDRA Zonal Director, Mr. Cyrus Nkangwung, told our correspondent that a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the facility would take place as soon as the fire was put off.

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