Nigerian Vanguard daily puts the death toll at over 100 people.
Graphic images of the burnt bodies lying on the ground have emerged online.
The blast, followed by a huge fire, took place at Inter Corp Oil limited (liquefied petroleum gas plant), a subsidiary of Chikason Group.
The explosion reportedly occurred when a truck tried to discharge without having cooled down.
At that time there were customers around who had been refilling their gas cylinders, Vanguard reports.
Explosion at chicason gas plant Nnewi pic.twitter.com/O3a9IjlzFE
โ Mcdonald ezenwa (@makavelli49) December 24, 2015
The blast was so powerful that it shook nearby buildings and spread panic and horror among locals, eyewitnesses say.
Fire-fighters, road safety workers and paramedics were immediately dispatched to the scene to prevent further damage and help the victims.
Those who were severely injured have been taken to Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital.
Chicason gas plant explosion pic.twitter.com/c3SuwgaB2b
โ Mcdonald ezenwa (@makavelli49) December 24, 2015
Reader Comments
is DANGEROUS. If the Nigerians or any other country for that matter doesn't put safety first then people get killed. Period.