(UTV|NIGERIA) – At least 15 people have been confirmed dead and many others injured after an explosion at a gas processing plant on Sunday in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said the explosion was caused by a truck that hit gas cylinders piled up at the plant in Abule Ado area in Lagos. The gas plant is located near an oil pipeline.
The impact of the explosion damaged parts of the pipeline prompting the state oil company to halt operations of the pipeline, Reuters news agency reports.
Some 50 buildings were destroyed after a fire broke out following the explosion, according to national emergency services spokesman Ibrahim Farinloye.
A school in the neighbourhood that accommodates 250 students was among those affected by the fire, AFP reports. Rescue workers have removed rubble from the school.
An official of the Nigerian Red Cross confirmed to the BBC’s Jessica Nwankwo that some students were injured at the school.
A nearby resident, Abibola Ayo, told AFP that he heard the blast at his house 3km (2 miles) away from the scene.