The Police Command in Cross River has said that 38 persons sustained various degrees of burns following a gas explosion that occurred on Saturday in Calabar.
The spokesman, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, who disclosed this to newsmen, said that no death had been recorded so far from the explosion that razed a gas station and residential buildings.
Eitokpah said that the victims had been taken to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
He identified gas leakage as the reason for the explosion that occurred at Edibe Edibe, a densely populated area of Calabar South Local Government Area.
The police image maker said that the explosion occurred at about 10.00 a.m. when a gas station attendant attempted to transfer gas from the storage tank to the service tank
He said that in the process, the gas hose got detached and caused gas fumes to leak within the environment.
“All attempts to secure the storage tap were not successful. The leak happened rapidly, there was no time to alert residents.
“The area came up in flames, and resulted in significant property damage, the value of which is currently unquantified,” he said.
Eitokpah said that the police command was effectively in control of the situation in order to safeguard lives and property.
When contacted, Mrs Olumayowa Olomola, the Commanding Officer of the Federal Fire Service, Cross River, said that the service could not respond to put off the inferno because its truck was faulty.
“Our truck was vandalised by hoodlums during a recent operation in Calabar. Some of our personnel were injured too, so we couldn’t respond,” she said.
Also speaking, Mr Emmanuel Ajom, the Director, Cross River Fire Service, said that the service’s fire trucks were undergoing maintenance.
“These trucks were procured about 14 years ago, they are undergoing routine maintenance, we couldn’t respond.
