About seven persons narrowly escaped death as cooking gas exploded in a two-room apartment of a storey building located at No 23 Emmanuel Church road, Inland town Onitsha, Anambra State, on Sunday.
SP Haruna Mohammed, the PPRO, Anambra State Police Command, who disclosed this in a press release, in Awka, on Sunday, said the fire allegedly emanated from a gas cooker recently procured.
According to Mohammed, the gas cooker exploded while it was being used for the first time.
“As a result, a total of seven (7) persons namely: Nonso Okafor ‘m’, Nkechi Chinyere Okafor ‘f,’ Chisoba Okafor ‘m’, Ebuka Okafor ‘m’, Nwabuchi Chukwutor ‘m’, Chialuka Nwabuchi ‘m’ and Ifeoma Nwabuchi ‘f’ sustained varying degrees of injuries while properties worth millions of Naira destroyed.”
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He said following the distress call by one the neighbours of the affected building, Police patrol team led by DPO inland town Division rushed to the scene and the fire was put off by local volunteers.
“Meanwhile, the area was cordoned off to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the situation to loot.
“And casualties have been taken to Boromeo/Minas hospitals Onitsha for medical attention.”
He noted that there was no loss of life and that the victims are responding to treatment.
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