P/Harcourt oil vessel explosion: Fire rages 24 hours after

Oil vessel on fire

• Four bodies recovered • NEMA wants burnt vessel removed • Residents of Abuloma decry pollution

Fire raged on yesterday on the oil vessel that exploded at the  Abuloma Jetty, Port Harcourt, Rivers State  on Friday.
No fewer than 30 people on board the vessel at the time of the explosion are feared dead.
The remains of four of the victims have been recovered.
One of the three persons who jumped from the burning vessel into the river in the bid to swim to safety died at an undisclosed hospital yesterday.
The South-South Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Umesi Emenike, yesterday  in Port Harcourt  called for the removal of the burnt vessel, to prevent more  accidents on the busy waterways.
 Emenike listed other things burnt by the fire  as a fishing boat, one tug boat and two barges.
The figures were corroborated by the Rivers State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Dr. Kayode Olagunju, who was part of the rescue team.
Residents of Abuloma told The Nation on Sunday   that the pollution of the environment is now a threat to their lives. They threatened legal action against the owner of the vessel.
The oil vessel exploded barely a week after the Okogbe petrol tanker fire in Ahoada West LGA of the state, where at least 200 persons died while scooping free fuel, with many survivors still in hospital.
The vessel was being used to supply food and sundry items to people working offshore for an oil firm. Many of the victims were girls whose mission on board the vessel could not be immediately ascertained.
The explosion occurred when welders were working to fix leaking spots in the vessel.