Most of the victims that burned to death in the Lagos pipeline blast were mostly women and children according to witnesses. They had arrived with fuel containers. The victims were local people who have been trying to collect fuel from the pipeline. It is said that the pipeline was deliberately breached causing the petrol to ignite.
However, such disasters are not uncommon in Nigeria which is rich in oil. Last year, at least the lives of 260 people were claimed in a pipeline explosion in Lagos. While Nigeria produces huge amounts of fuel from its reserves, they are out of legal reach to most of the population which is stricken with poverty.
“The incident occurred in the early hours of Christmas Day… by the time our team located the place they found about 34 charred bodies,” according to Frank Mbah, a spokesman for the Lagos police.