Saraki commiserates with victims of Lafia gas explosion

THE Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Monday, commiserated with victims of the gas explosion in Lafia, Nasarawa State that killed scores of people and left many others injured.

Saraki, who visited the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH), Lafia, where some of the survivors were receiving treatment, expressed shock over the incident.

He described the inferno as ‘unfortunate’ and prayed God to grant the survivors speedy recovery and the dead eternal rest.

The Senate President lauded the various emergency agencies for the prompt response, as well as the hospital management for their efforts towards saving more lives.

Saraki was in Lafia to meet with delegates and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the party’s presidential primaries.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Monaco Gas Station in Lafia was razed at about 10:a.m. when a tanker offloading the liquefied gas had a leakage and went up in flames.

Mr Dogara Dalhatu, the Chief Fire Officer of the Nasarawa State Fire Service, who confirmed the incident, attributed it to a spark around the vicinity, where the gas was being discharged.

Dalhatu said the inferno had been brought under control and that the casualty figure could not be ascertained at the moment, saying that the rescue agencies were still working to save lives.

He said that about 10 vehicles, five motorcycles and three tricycles were destroyed by the fire.

Miss Deborah Dangara, the Public Relations Officer of DASH, confirmed that some casualties were brought into the hospital with various degrees of burn.

Dangara, however, said that she had yet to confirm the number of deaths recorded from the incident.