No fewer than seven people lost their lives as explosion rocks Gbetiokun, Oil Mining License (OML 40), operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), on behalf of the NPDC/Elcrest Joint Venture.
NPDC is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Goup General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Dr. Kennie Obateru, who confirmed this to SlyNews said the bodies of the casualties have been deposited at a morgue in Sapele.
Obateru said the incident occurred on Tuesday during the installation of a ladder on a platform (Benin River Valve Station) for access during discharging of Gbetiokun production.
He stated that detailed investigation of the cause of the explosion has commenced, while the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has been duly notified and “Form 41” was being prepared for the Industry regulator as required in circumstances of this nature.
Obateru stated: “The bodies of casualties have been deposited in a morgue in Sapele, while families of the personnel involved are being contacted by their employers: Weld Affairs and Flow Impact, which are consultants to NPDC.
He noted that all personnel on board the platform had been fully accounted for.
NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, commiserated with the families of the bereaved, praying that God grants them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss of their loved ones.
It would be recalled that about 45,347 of such incident had occurred in the last 18 years.
