The charred bodies of victims who died at the Illegal Refinery explosion were buried earlier with proper customs and traditions by the State Government of IMO, Nigeria.
The State Government of IMO, Nigeria, mass buried charred bodies of victims killed during the weekend at an explosion of an illegal refinery. The blast that happened over the weekend in the southern state of Nigeria killed over 100 people. The fleshes of victims who tried to escape the fire by climbing trees were hung in the air. Before the mass burial, two local health workers fumigated the area.
According to local reports, photos and videos suggest that the group of men who used shovels to dig three graves at the explosion site were bare-chested and without shoes in a swampy place with burnt palm trees and surrounded by their belongings. The explosion site was beyond regular imagination, with victims hung everywhere and scattered bodies. They used makeshift stretchers to bury the victims inside the ground, and these men didn’t use body bags. The Nigerian Red Cross Society and the National Emergency Management Agency assisted and guided these people.
In his statement, Marcel Amadioha, the interim management committee chairman of Ohaji-Egbema, said that the mass burial of victims was conducted as per the government’s instructions as the bodies were beyond recognition. Even though some families claimed the victims’ bodies, some were unidentifiable. Before the bodies could decay any further, Amadioha said this was the least they could do.
Representing the government, Marcel Amadioha further added that hopefully this will serve as a deterrent to others. The government are clamping down on all illegal refineries in this area as they can’t allow this economic sabotage to deteriorate. “We deserve better than this. The governor has shown enough compassion by providing us with enough logistics to carry out this mass burial,” he said.
According to API, the explosion that happened on Friday night in Ohaji-Egbema, the local government area of IMO, was triggered by a fire at two fuel storage areas between the boundary of Rivers State and IMO State. As a result, dozens of workers were caught in flames, and their bodies were unrecognizable to their family members. According to local reports, the number could be higher than 100, and police are investigating the matter.
Due to unemployment and poverty in the oil-producing sectors of Niger Delta, it is believed that workers saw employment opportunities in these illegal refineries but with deadly consequences. The establishment of these companies has already polluted nearby areas and caused vital damage to people living in and around the place.
Published by: Gargi Sharma
Edited by: Aaradhan Singh
