105 dead in Nigeria fuel pipe blast

At least 105 villagers in rural Nigeria have died after petrol gushing from a vandalised pipeline exploded when they tried to scavenge the fuel, Red Cross authorities and witnesses said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, which happened on a length of pipe 30 miles north of the city of Umuahia. Nigeria's national ThisDay daily newspaper reported witnesses saying it might have been caused by a spark from a motorcycle used by one of the victims.

Emmanuel Ijewere, president of the Nigerian Red Cross, confirmed that 105 people were killed and said more deaths were likely as rescue crews continued to collect bodies and interview survivors, who included an unknown number of people suffering from burns.

Ndu Ughamadu, spokesman of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, confirmed that the pipeline had been ruptured by "vandals", adding that it was still unclear how many people had been killed.

Witnesses said villagers had been taking fuel from the pipeline for about six weeks, since it was first ruptured by unidentified saboteurs in early May.

The residents said authorities had continued to pump fuel through the line despite being informed of the breakage.

The pipeline was carrying fuel from a state-owned refinery in the oil city of Port Harcourt to the city of Enugu, 140 miles to the north.

Word of the disaster emerged slowly because many survivors apparently feared prosecution for theft and sabotage, Ijewere said. ThisDay reported witnesses saying police colluded with the vandals by demanding 100 naira - 47p - fees from villagers scooping up buckets and barrels of fuel for resale.

Pipeline vandalism, known as "bunkering" or "scooping", is common in Nigeria despite the risk of deadly fire, or punishment, including prosecution or being shot on sight by security forces.

Nigeria is Africa's largest petroleum exporter and the fifth-largest source of United States oil imports.

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